User:Steorra/sandbox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Attempt at translating this: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=R%C3%B6misch-katholische_Kirche_in_Albanien&oldid=48015334
thumb|250px|Jesuitenkirche in Tirana [[Bild:Katolicky kostol elbasan albansko.JPG|thumb|250px|Neue Kirche in Elbasan] thumb|250px|Katholische Kirche
The Roman Catholic Church in Albania is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. It consists of two ecclesiastical provinces with a total of six separate jurisdictional areas. There is no clear information on the number of adherents. Estimates range from 250,000 to half a million Albanian Catholics.
Albanians and the Apostolic See have diplomatic relations with one another, and the Nuncio for Albania has his office in Tirana.
Since the readmission of religious communities after the end of communism rule (1990), Albania has been a mission field for the Catholic Church. The majority of active priests and members of religious orders in Albania still (as of 2006) come from foreign countries. The same is true of the bishops. [Untranslated: Mit Hilfe aus Rom und von anderen Teilkirchen konnten mittlerweile funktionsfähige Strukturen (Ordinariate, das Pfarrnetz, kirchliche Schulen, ein Priesterseminar usw.) geschaffen werden.]
[Omit - Caritas page gives different date; hard to integrate diocesan association info: Für die sozialen Aktivitäten wurde bereits 1990 die albanische Caritas gegründet und vom Staat 1993 als NGO offiziell anerkannt. Inzwischen existiert in jedem Bistum ein eigener Diözesanverband.]
The most important place of pilgrimage for Albanian Catholics is a grotto at Laç dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua [this seems incorrect Gheg(gegisch: Shën Ndo)]. This place of pilgrimage is sought out not only by Catholics, but also by adherents of the other religions traditionally represented in Albania.