Albania - (Europe)
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Information about Albania

Present-day Albania is referred to as “Illyricum” in Paul’s letter to the Romans (15:19).It became Christian in the 2nd century. In the course of history the church changed jurisdiction several times. From 733 to 1054 it belonged to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the schism between Rome and Constantinople the northern part of Albania came under the jurisdiction of Rome and was eventually Latinized. With the invasion of the Turks in the 15th century the whole area came under Islamic rule. At the end of World War II a militant Communist regime was established. Churches were systematically persecuted. In 1967 the government proclaimed Albania the first atheist state in the world, and in 1976 all religious practices, even in private, were forbidden. With the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe the situation changed. In 1990/91 religious freedom was guaranteed by law in Albania.
Protestantism has no historical roots in Albania. With the exception of a Baptist community there were, prior to the Communist regime, no Prot churches in the country. In the early ’90s about 150 Prot groups started evangelistic work in various parts of Albania, among them several Ref groups. Most of these efforts were independent from one another. Some coordination has been achieved through the Albania Encouragement Project (AEP) with an office in Tirana (K.P. 19, Tirana, +355 30 34 708) which brings together almost 70 agencies currently working in Albania.

Missions

• Danish Moravian Mission
  BDM
• Swiss Evangelical Mission