• The Middle Ages ensured further growth for Lucca, which became a pilgrimage destination on the Via Francigena thanks to the presence of the Holy Face in the church of San Martino. Despite the constant fighting between Guelphs and Ghibellines, in the 14th century Lucca was undoubtedly one of the most important cities of the Italian Middle Ages. A period of great decadence followed under the subsequent rule of the Visconti family and the dictatorship of Giovanni Dell'Agnello, Doge of the Republic of Pisa.
• Having obtained its freedom again in 1370 thanks to the intervention of Emperor Charles IV, Lucca chose a republican government and returned to fame in Europe. After the brief period of the Signoria of Paolo Guinigi, Lucca remained an independent republic until 1799, when it fell under Austrian rule. It became a principality and then a duchy of Maria Luisa of Bourbon, and finally entered the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1860 Lucca became part of the Kingdom of Italy.

Not much to do

In 1967, a shadow fell over Albania. Under the communist regime, faith in God was banned by the dictator Enver Hoxha. The declaration of Albania as an atheist state was a betrayal of the Albanian people, a betrayal of justice, morality, and of God, who is above man. For generations, the hearts of Albanians held faith as the most sacred thing and one of the most beautiful things. The bells of Shkodra, the minarets of Kruja were our Albanian identity, an important part of Albania’s and Albanians’ culture and history. With the press of a button in 1967, this light was turned off. This betrayal was not only against believers but also against our nation. When once we spoke of the Kanun, which governed villages with law and moral conscience, and schools whispered the hymns of history during literature classes, now there became a sudden, heavy, and frightening silence. Children grew up in a world where the words of the call to prayer were considered a crime. The dictator did not stop there , he also banned Mother Teresa, a divine woman, a sacrificing mother, a mother in every sense of the word, who sacrificed herself to help others. A mother that anyone would be proud to say she was Albanian because her charity and heart were unique in love, nobility, and morality. The unwavering courage of Albanians against the Ottomans and our occupiers was now being tested by our own leaders. With the arrival of democracy, Albanians were freed from their oppressors. Mother Teresa, finally allowed to come to Albania, met the first anti-communist leader. This meeting was more than just a meeting it was a symbol. Her arrival symbolized the fact that faith and God were finally no longer considered a crime. Albanians finally had the right to believe in religion. Finally, it was no longer forbidden to not only believe in the leader but also to believe in the great truth: that there is someone above the “leaders,” someone all-powerful and moral, someone who uses their power not to oppress but for good and justice, God himself. Writing by Daniel Katana

Porto, Portugal.

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