The
Arberesh: the Christian Albanian emigration to Italy
by GIOVANNI ARMILLOTTA
L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO
Year CXLI - N 139 (42.777), Vatican City,Wednesday, June 20, 2001
Part Two
Pope Clement XI and the Albani
Family
The ongoing objective of Clement
XI (Gian Francesco Albani, b. 1649, 1700-21) to unify Christianity had
significant results in Albania where the Catholic and Orthodox churches were
united for a period of time. Clement XI, after becoming aware of his Albanian
origins, became very interested in the political and religious rebirth of his
fatherland. During this period the "First Albanian National
Council" (1703) took place which decisively proclaimed clerical
guidelines relative to dogmatic, moral, canon and pastoral questions.
Meanwhile there was good news even for the orthodox church. After a first
attempt to arrive at some sort of unification did not work, a second attempt
was made to establish archbishoprics in Ocrida and Skopje. From 1628, a
mission of Byzantine rite had already taken hold in Himara. In the 18th
century in the northeastern and central areas of Albania appeared the
phenomena of crypto-Christianity, which is present even in our time (in particular
during the Enverist period). Among those who embraced Islam, many preferred
the sect that was the most heterodox and closer to Christianity - the
Bektashi.
The Albani family was founded by two Albanian brothers, George and Fillip of
Michele deí Lazi, previously fighters under Skenderbeg. They found refuge in
Urbino, where Federico and Guidobaldo from Montefeltro entrusted them with
diplomatic matters during wartime. They took the last
name"Albanesi" that Altobello (1445-1564) son of George, changed to
"Albani." The Albani family, besides Clement XI, produced other
illustrious personages -- cardinals, diplomats, and important statesmen:
Giovanni Girolamo, (1509-91), cardinal, vice commander of armed forces of the
Serenissima Republic, in two conclaves candidate in Soglio di Pietro,
stereograph and personal judicial consultant of Gregorio XIII (1572-85) and
Sisto V (1585-90); Orazio (1576-1653): diplomat, appointed senator of Rome by
Urbano VIII (1623-44); Anibale (1682-1751): canon of St. Peter, president of
the Apostolic Council, secretary of Memoriali, cardinal (1711) and
extraordinary diplomatic representative in Vienna, where he worked for the
ratification of the election of Emperor Carlo VI (1711-40), representative of
St. Romana church, arch-priest in Vatican Basilica, bishop of Sabina and then
of Porto and Santa Rufina, vice doyen at the Sacred College; Alessandro
(1692-1779); at the age of fifteen colonel of the armed pontificate who gave
up a military career, secretary of Memoriali, correspondent in Vienna,
cardinal (1721), librarian in St. Romana church, Austrian ambassador in Rome,
protector of the Sardinian kingdom, protector and friend of Winckelmann,
constructor of the Albani Villa, and an extraordinary patron; Gian Francesco
(1720-1803) cardinal (1753), protector of Polish Affairs, participated in the
negotiation with Caterina II (1762-93) to regulate the situation of Catholics
in Russia, bishop of Sabina then of Porto and Santa Rufina until in 1775 when
he became doyen of the Sacred College, bishop in Ostia and Valletri, defender
of the Pontific State against the French revolution and supporter of the
election of Clement XIII (1758-1769) and Pius VII (1800-23); Giuseppe
(1750-1834): representative of the counsel of Pius VI (1755-99), was sent to
Vienna to get the blessed strip for the baptism of archbishop Ferdinando who
afterwards became Emperor (1833-48), cardinal (1801), protector of the
Austrian Empire, pre-secretary of Brevi and the League of Bologna, Secretary
of State for Pius VIII (1829-30), librarian in Santa Romana church, bishop of
Urbino and legate of Pesaro and Urbino. In 1852 the family tree was extended
with Filippo. In the East, we find another great Albanian family of royal
vizirs of the Ottoman Empire, contemporaries of the Albani in XVII-XVIII
century: the Kepryly (Koprulu).
Even before Clement XI, we find there were three other pontiffs of Albanian
origin: Saint Eleutherius, (175-189), Saint Caius, (283-296) and John IV
(640-642).
Bibliography
General Yearbook of the Italian
towns and villages. ICI Milan, 1980; (Pontific Yearbookî, Editorial
Libraries, Vatican City, 1999, p. 1161; Giuseppe Castellani (dir), History of
Religion, UTET, Turin, 1971, 6th ed, vol. IV, p. 645; Catholic Encyclopedia,
Vatican City, 1948, vol. 1, pp. 636-50, Italian Encyclopedia, Rome 1949, vol.
II, p. 92; Vincenzo Fucci, On the Origins of Albanians of St. Giorgio Lucano,
"Basillicata Region ñ News", Potenza, n. 1, 1996, p. 79-84 Hubert
Jedin (dir), History of the Church, Juca Book, Milan, 1993, 2nd ed, vol. IX,
P. 445-6, Allan Kruja, Kosovo, The Survival of a People, The right historic
causes of a conflict, Illiria Edition, Rimini, 2000, 2nd ed, p. 52-4,
ìLibertyî, Piacenza, August 22, 1990; Angelo Masci, discussions on Albanians
of the Naples kingdom (1807) Marco Lungro, 1990; Mona, Pelzer (dirr),
Ecclesiastical Dictionary, UTET, Turin, 1953, vol 1, p. 76; Bruno Pancini, A
minority of Albanian origins in the province of Piacenza? Credible research
conducted at the end of 400 or at the beginning of 500 shed light on the
settlement of two family trees: the Toscs and the Albanians, "Albanian
Reality", Rome I (1990), n. 1 April, p. 23-4; Ivana Tanga, The story of
the Albanian community in Ivi, Italy. p. 24.
Frosina
thanks Franka Misho for her translation from the original Italian into
English
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