The brand-new Catholic cathedral of Pristina is the first cathedral in the world to be dedicated to Saint Teresa of Calcutta. It was formally consecrated on 5 September 2017, the 20th anniversary of her death. Needless to say, it was an occasion of great joy for the people, attended by thousands of Kosovans, not only Catholics, but also Orthodox Christians and Muslims. For Mother Teresa has become an icon of charity, not only for Catholics but for people of all faiths. ACN help towards the cost of the construction of this cathedral, which is today, so to speak, the heart of Catholic life in the diocese of Prizren and Pristina. Although there are only around 58,000 Catholics in Kosovo out of a total population of 1.8 million, many nonetheless play an active part in the life of the Church.
However, Kosovo has not been spared from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic either, and here too infection rates are still climbing. Bishop Dode Gjergij could never have imagined situation in which people were forced to stay at home and Holy Mass would no longer be allowed to be celebrated publicly, and this is a situation and causes him great sorrow.
But as in other places, he can at least remain in contact with the Catholic faithful via the media. Every day Holy Mass is transmitted live from the cathedral, together with a time of prayer, but for now the technical equipment is inadequate. Using just an iPod, the transmission quality is very poor, and using Facebook is available only to a limited number of people. So now the diocese has set up a channel via YouTube and wants to improve the transmission quality. This involves better cameras and at least a minimum of technical equipment. Moreover, this will be useful not only during the coronavirus crisis but also in future, enabling not only religious services but also catechetical instruction to be given for those preparing for baptism, and other forms of activity as well. ACN is helping with 8000 Euros.
Code: 452-01-69
