In March 1964, an elderly priest, tired of prisons and persecution, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of Albania. It was a simple, humble and dignified letter. The author was Dom Shtjefën Kurti, a former parish priest of the Catholic Church of Tirana, a priest who had spent 17 years of his life in the prisons of the communist regime.
In that letter, addressed to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Mehmet Shehu, he did not ask for privileges, nor positions, nor any favors. He only asked for one thing: to be allowed to practice religious rites.
The letter, dated March 20, 1964, is a rare document that testifies not only to the personal drama of a priest, but also to the harsh climate of the time when religion and belief were treated as crimes.
A priest who had spent time in the regime's prisons
At the beginning of the letter, Dom Shtjefën Kurti introduces himself in a restrained and respectful tone:
"I am Dom Shtjefën Kurti, former parish priest of the Catholic Church of Tirana."
He recalls that in 1946 he was arrested, sentenced to 20 years in prison, and was only released in May 1963, after serving 17 years in prison, thanks to various amnesties by the regime.
At the time of writing the letter, he was 66 years old and lived near his brother in Gurëz i Milot.
A life connected to the Albanian issue
In the letter, he also tries to explain his previous activities. Kurti mentions a brochure he had presented to the League of Nations in Geneva on May 5, 1938, in which he had defended the rights of the Albanians of Kosovo.
He writes that he had prepared hundreds of copies of that brochure and distributed them to various international institutions and libraries, with the aim of drawing attention to the fate of Albanians under Yugoslavia.
"As a Kosovar Albanian, I have tried in every way to help that martyred brother people," he writes in the letter.
Dom Shtjefën Kurti also remembers protesting the injustices and torture inflicted on Albanians in Kosovo by the gendarmerie and authorities of the time.
A priest who said he had not acted against the regime
In the rest of the letter he tries to clarify his relationship with the communist regime.
Kurti writes that throughout the entire time he had not taken any action against the Party or the National Liberation Movement, on the contrary, he had also helped people associated with the movement.
"I proudly say that I have never taken any action against the National Liberation Movement Party. On the contrary, I have sheltered people persecuted by the regime of that time," he writes.
He adds that even during the Italian-German occupation, he had only exercised his duty as a priest.
The only requirement: to serve as a priest
At the end of the letter, his request is simple and humane.
At the age of 66, after prison and persecution, he asks to be allowed to perform religious services and live with a family that would accept him.
He writes to the prime minister that he seeks nothing more than the opportunity to live the remaining years of his life practicing his faith.
"Is it possible that you would allow me to exercise my priestly duties in a family where I would have your consent," he writes.
The letter closes with a humble phrase:
"I apologize for the trouble and remain respectfully, hoping for a favorable response from you."
At the end is his signature:
Dom Shtjefën Kurti.
The tragic end
The story of Dom Shtjefën Kurti did not end with this letter.
Just a few years later, in 1971, he was arrested again and shot by the communist regime, precisely for the fact that he had performed religious rites in secret.
Thus, his simple request to serve as a priest became the "evidence" for his death sentence.
The 1964 letter remains a shocking document today: a clear testament to the humility of a priest and the brutality of a regime that considered faith a crime.
