Albania’s prime minister meets with Pontiff

February 06, 2026

Pope Leo XIV received Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania on February 5.

Prime Minister Rama, a Catholic who has served as Albania’s prime minister since 2013, subsequently met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

“The good existing relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Albania were highlighted, and topics of common interest pertaining to the relations between the ecclesial and civil communities were considered,” according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office. “As the conversation continued, the parties also focused on the principal regional questions, including the situation of the countries of the West Balkans and Albania’s progress towards full integration in the European Union.”

The prime minister also visited Pope Francis’s tomb and paid tribute to the late Pontiff as “an unforgettable friend of Albania and of our family, who never forgot to pray for our people and to send us his messages of friendship.”

Albania, a southeastern European nation of 2.6 million (map), is 65% Muslim (61% Sunni, 4% Shia) and 33% Christian (20% Orthodox, 11% Catholic).

 

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Further information:

• Prime Minister Rama Visits the Vatican (Prime Minister's Office, 2/5/26)
• Holy See Press Office Press Release: Audience with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, 05.02.2026 (2/5/26)