The former Transport Minister who founded the corridor explains how it started and where it is going

By Kiço BLUSHI Yesterday in the Vatican, through a presentation from the Church’s cultural standpoint, he delivered a long plea for the mistakes made throughout history by the Catholic Church. Just as the Crusades were mistakes, the anniversary of the Inquisition, the war in the first curtain of the veil (the dead were there) linked to the Crusades, the forced internments of Muslims and those of other faiths, the punishments against science, the non-acceptance of the paraphrase of races and slaves, etc. Yes, the Pope can also ask forgiveness publicly. The violet that releases the wings of accusation and does not turn the burden back on itself and this, without any doubt, is the new spirit that distinguishes the power-holders? to people then? to the wise where the stocks of courage? the ears of error? And yet, one thing must be said: the Pope’s decision to ask forgiveness of Albanians in the name of the sin committed against them over the centuries is undoubtedly a rare event of special magnitude. For the first time he admits that in the middle of the dark centuries, known as the Middle Ages, and later, the Church and the Catholic clergy in Albanian lands became a shield and support for the anti-Albanian policy of the neighbors. And where today is the most Catholic Albania, mainly in its north, the identity and historicity of northern Albanians, their traditions, their ethnic and linguistic heritage, were more violated than anywhere else. To put it briefly, this is what the Pope’s words mean in general. The text read yesterday in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, included in the great program of forgiveness, also implies the mistakes made by Catholic priests in Albania during the five centuries of Ottoman occupation, when they did not want to officially accept the Albanian language and nationality, but kept them tied to foreign courts. It also expresses remorse for the later division, when many Albanians of Orthodox and Muslim faith were considered foreigners in their own lands. This moral forgiveness, which many eagerly await, will have a broad echo in Albania and in Albanian-populated areas.

Page 15 xhyms Rubin yesterday in Kosovo Officers leave, local soldiers reveal the “Red Code” about the newcomers Violence in the unit, recruits flee At least 13 recruit soldiers chose to suddenly leave the 88th. At the Traka base, after being trained under difficult conditions, 30 other soldiers said goodbye to their uniforms and weapons. On Friday, at the Infantry Command, the departure from the unit of another 7 soldiers was also announced. They have tried to influence the other soldiers. photo REUTERS

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