Albanian bishops to excommunicate Catholics who take part in ‘blood-feud’ killings
September 24, 2012
The Albanian bishops have announced that they will excommunicate Catholics who take part in the practice of gjakmarrja: revenge killings that avenge murders or violations to a family’s honor such as a divorce.
“People kill without hesitation in this bloody, barbaric system of revenge, often justifying their actions from a centuries-old tradition," said Archbishop Angelo Massafra of Shkodrë-Pult. “They attach more importance to human tradition than the law of God, and through their murderous behavior trample on the Gospel of Life and cross of Christ.”
“Every person of the Catholic faith who kills for motives of vendetta will be excommunicated,” he added. Until the competent ecclesiastical authority lifts the excommunication, “they will be unable to participate in church services, attend confession, receive Communion, or be buried in a church cemetery.”
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