Pope talks EU adhesion with Albanian president
(VATICAN CITY) - Pope Benedict XVI discussed Albania's efforts to join the European Union on Saturday during a visit by Albanian President Bamir Topi, the Holy See said in a statement.
The men adressed "Albania's journey towards full integration into the European Union", the statement said as well as relations between the religious and civil communities in the country.
Largely Muslim, the Albanian population is about 10 percent Roman Catholic.
The Vatican actively encourages ex-communist Balkan countries to join the EU in the goal of keeping peace in a region that remains vulnerable to ethnic conflict and violence.
Archbishop of Shkoder Angelo Massafra, who was part of the trip, told Vatican Radio that the Church in Albania faced many challenges including how to pay proper tribute to the "blood of our martyrs and so many others who were killed by the communist system".
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