Churches

Albania has been successively part of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. It became independent in 1912 and was a monarchy from 1924 to 1939 when it was invaded by fascist Italy. The Albanian Communist Party, formed in 1941, seized control of the country in 1944, installing one of the harshest communist dictatorships of modern history. Albania was politically and economically isolated from the rest of the world, including the communist world. In 1990, in the context of the end of the cold war and under internal pressure within the party and by the people, the communist regime collapsed. The two largest churches, Orthodox and Catholic, have re-established themselves. Islam has also re-affirmed itself in Albania. There has been a considerable influx of Evangelical, Pentecostal, and other Christian faith missions. Relationships between the faith communities are on the whole tolerant. There is no council of churches.

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