Pope Leo XIV in Letter to 97-Year-Old Cardinal who Spent 18 Years in a Labor Camp "no prison is deep enough to separate man from the love of God" FULL TEXT
Pope Leo XIV sent a message to 97-year-old Cardinal Ernest Simoni, who yesterday morning, Friday 31 July, presided over the Mass at the former prison camp of Spaç, Albania, in memory of those who suffered or lost their lives there. During the communist regime, the Cardinal spent most of his 18-year sentence of forced labour in the camp, where he celebrated Mass in secret.
FULL TEXT Letter of Pope Leo XIV - IN ELLO UNO UNUM
"In Him who is One (Christ), we are One."
Venerated Brother,
With deep emotion, I join spiritually with Your Eminence and with all those gathered in the former prison camp of Spaç, where you return after so many years to celebrate the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of Christ that transformed the Cross from a sign of death into a promise of life.
That place, imprinted in the memory of the Albanian people, remains one of the most painful pages in its history. Spaç was a place where many carried the heavy cross of injustice; the blood of those who suffered and died in those mountains irrigated that land, making it a silent testimony of fidelity, courage, and hope. How many prayers must have risen to Heaven from that place! How many invocations whispered in the heart! How many faces, marked by toil and deprivation, entrusted their final hope to the Lord!
Memory reminds us that no chain is strong enough to imprison a conscience enlightened by the Gospel, no night is long enough to prevent the dawn that the Lord prepares for His children, and no prison is deep enough to separate man from the love of God (cf. Rom 8:35-39).
I join in praying for those who suffered and died in Spaç, that their memory may live on and serve as a constant reminder to future generations of the inviolable dignity of the human person, the value of freedom, and the commitment to peace.
I entrust all those present to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope. As I assure you of my remembrance in prayer, I cordially impart to Your Eminence and to all those participating in the celebration the Apostolic Blessing you requested.
From the Vatican, July 30, 2026
Leo PP. XIV
"In Him who is One (Christ), we are One."
Venerated Brother,
With deep emotion, I join spiritually with Your Eminence and with all those gathered in the former prison camp of Spaç, where you return after so many years to celebrate the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of Christ that transformed the Cross from a sign of death into a promise of life.
That place, imprinted in the memory of the Albanian people, remains one of the most painful pages in its history. Spaç was a place where many carried the heavy cross of injustice; the blood of those who suffered and died in those mountains irrigated that land, making it a silent testimony of fidelity, courage, and hope. How many prayers must have risen to Heaven from that place! How many invocations whispered in the heart! How many faces, marked by toil and deprivation, entrusted their final hope to the Lord!
Memory reminds us that no chain is strong enough to imprison a conscience enlightened by the Gospel, no night is long enough to prevent the dawn that the Lord prepares for His children, and no prison is deep enough to separate man from the love of God (cf. Rom 8:35-39).
I join in praying for those who suffered and died in Spaç, that their memory may live on and serve as a constant reminder to future generations of the inviolable dignity of the human person, the value of freedom, and the commitment to peace.
I entrust all those present to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope. As I assure you of my remembrance in prayer, I cordially impart to Your Eminence and to all those participating in the celebration the Apostolic Blessing you requested.
From the Vatican, July 30, 2026
Leo PP. XIV
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