In Mali Kolaj, in Velipoja, Dom Dede Malaj, Catholic clergyman, martyr of the Catholic Church, was born. After primary and secondary school, which he completed at the Albanian Pontifical Seminary in Shkodër, he continued his studies in Italy. He was ordained a priest in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, on December 20, 1942. After returning to Albania, he served in the area of Dajçi on the Buna coast. He is one of the clergy who refused to sign the Statute of the Catholic Church of Albania (June 26, 1951). He was arrested, because he sent abroad the list of priests who were shot. By decision no. 5, dated October 27, 1952, the Military College of the Supreme Court declared him guilty of “treason against the motherland” and “agitation and propaganda” and sentenced him to death, shooting, and confiscation of property. He was shot at the age of 42 (1959). He was declared a martyr of the Church by Pope Francis in April 2016. (In the photo: Dede Malaj)
Text: Encyclopedic dictionary of victims of communist terror – Vol. V , “West Print”, Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, Tirana, 2016, page 166-167.
Photo: © https://kishakatolikeshkoder.com/dom-dede-malaj/
Graphic processing: AHCF
