Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania, Albania

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Name: Southern Albania (English) / Albania Meridionale (Italiano) / Jugut të Shqipërisë (Shqip) / Albaniæ Meridionalis (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Tiranë–Durrës

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Celebrations

Liturgical Calendar (Universal) 📅

History

1939.11.11: Established as Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania (English) / Albania Meridionale (Italiano) / Jugut të Shqipërisë (Shqip) / Albaniæ Meridionalis (Latin) (from Archdiocese of Durrës and became suffragan of Shkodrë)
2005.01.25: Became suffragan of Tiranë–Durrës

Present Prelates

Apostolic Administrator:

vacant

Ordinaries

Apostolic Administrators of Southern Albania (Roman Rite)

Bishop Giovanni Peragine, B. (59) (later Archbishop)
(2017.06.15 – 2024.05.20)

Titular Bishop of Phœnice
Coadjutor Archbishop of Shkodrë–Pult (Albania)
General Secretary of Episcopal Conference of Albania

Pasce agnos meo

Born:	1965.06.25 (Altamura, Italy)
Ordained Priest:	1993.03.10
Consecrated Bishop:	2017.09.07

President of Union of the European Conferences of Major Superiors (U.C.E.S.M.) (2009 – 2018.03.10)

Apostolic Administrator of Southern Albania (Albania) (2017.06.15 – 2024.05.20)

Titular Bishop of Phœnice (2017.06.15 – ...)

Vice-President of Episcopal Conference of Albania (2018.02.05 – 2024.02.20)

General Secretary of Episcopal Conference of Albania (2024.02.20 – ...)

Coadjutor Archbishop of Shkodrë–Pult (Albania) (2024.05.20 – ...)

Bishop Hil Kabashi, O.F.M. (83)
(1996.12.03 – 2017.06.15)

Titular Bishop of Turres in Byzacena
Apostolic Administrator emeritus of Southern Albania (Albania)

Born:	1941.02.19 (Caparac, Serbia)
Ordained Priest:	1969.05.18
Consecrated Bishop:	1997.01.06

Apostolic Administrator of Southern Albania (Albania) (1996.12.03 – 2017.06.15)

Titular Bishop of Turres in Byzacena (1996.12.03 – ...)

Archbishop Ivan Dias (later Cardinal)
(1992 – 1996.11.08)

Servus

Born:	1936.04.14 (Mumbai, India)
Ordained Priest:	1958.12.08
Consecrated Bishop:	1982.06.19
Created Cardinal:	2001.02.21
Died:	2017.06.19 (Roma, Italy † 81)

Priest of Bombay (India) (1958.12.08 – 1982.05.08)

Privy Chamberlain Supernumerary (1964.12.04 – 1968.03.28)

Chaplain of His Holiness (1968.03.28 – 1982.05.08)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Benin (1982.05.08 – 1987.06.20)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Ghana (1982.05.08 – 1987.06.20)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Togo (1982.05.08 – 1987.06.20)

Titular Archbishop of Rusibisir (1982.05.08 – 1996.11.08)

Apostolic Nuncio to Korea (1987.06.20 – 1991.01.16)

Apostolic Nuncio to Albania (1991.01.16 – 1996.11.08)

Apostolic Administrator of Southern Albania (Albania) (1992 – 1996.11.08)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Bombay (India) (1996.11.08 – 2006.05.20)

Cardinal-Priest of Spirito Santo alla Ferratella (2001.02.21 [2001.06.03] – 2017.06.19)

Prefect of Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (2006.05.20 – 2011.05.10)

President of Interdicastery Commission for Consecrated Religious (2006.05.20 – 2011.05.10)

Grand Chancellor of Pontifical Urbaniana University (2006.05.20 – 2011.05.10)

Blessed Archbishop Nikollë Vinçens Prenushi, O.F.M.
(1946 – 1949.03.19)

Born:	1885.09.04 (Shkodër, Albania)
Ordained Priest:	1908.03.19
Consecrated Bishop:	1936.03.19
Died:	1949.03.19 🩸 (Durrës, Albania † 63)
Beatified:	2016.11.05 (Shkodër, Shkodër, Albania)

Bishop of Sapë (Albania) (1936.01.27 – 1940.06.26)

Archbishop of Durrës (Albania) (1940.06.26 – 1949.03.19)

Apostolic Administrator of Southern Albania (Albania) (1946 – 1949.03.19)

Archbishop and religious of Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans). Martyr.

Archbishop Leone Giovanni Battista Nigris
(1940 – 1945)

Born:	1884.08.27 (Italy)
Ordained Priest:	1909.07.18
Consecrated Bishop:	1938.09.25
Died:	1964.09.21 († 80)

Apostolic Delegate to Albania (1938.08.18 – 1945)

Titular Archbishop of Philippi (1938.08.18 – 1964.09.21)

Apostolic Administrator of Southern Albania (Albania) (1940 – 1945)

Special Churches

Pro-Cathedral: Kisha Shën Luigji Gonzaga e Shën Maria, Vlorë, Vlorë, Vlorë
Former Cathedral, World Heritage Site (now ruined): Kisha, Butrint, Vlorë, Vlorë

Tiranë–Durrës (↑), Skopje (↗), Thessaloniki (→), Corfu–Zakynthos–Kefalonia (↓)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 16,172 km²

Population: 1,921 Catholics (0.2% of 1,065,497 total)

Pastoral Centres: 5 parishes, 16 missions

Personnel: 16 priests (5 diocesan, 11 religious), 84 religious (16 brothers, 68 sisters)