Swiss nun declaring war on Albanian Canun

The law of blood feuding continues today: Anyone who takes blood must give blood (pay blood with blood). A Swiss woman, an honorary sister of the commandeers, Christina Färber, has given herself the mission to fight blood feud”.

A long article by the newspaper Luzerner Zeitung paints the nun in question and the archaic phenomenon of blood feuds in northern Albania.

Next, albinfo. ch brings in translation, with a few cuts, this reportage.

The article begins with the somewhat problematic link the author makes to the blood feud phenomenon responsible for the “honoural work” to two murders that have occurred in recent months within the Albanian community of Switzerland.

The murders that happened were made of the canon. Honor is above all, women have almost no rights. And many families still live under the threat of blood feuds.

Christina Färber is the courageous woman who has declared peaceful resistance to Albanian customary law to the canon. It fights violence against women, against forced marriage. And against the blood feuds, with which many families live today, it transmits albinfo.ch. She takes the journalist to a family on the outskirts of Shkodra, who lives in fear that blood will kill her 17-year-old son, Christian.

In the Albanian north, with forests, waterfalls, and lakes, the canyon is still firmly embedded in the heads of many today. It's a “Honorary Law”: honor of family, tribe and husband. The Kanun is an unwritten set of rules from the Middle Ages, which does not give the woman almost any rights, the paper continues.

The woman according to the canon is a tube that gives birth to children”, Sister Christina says. The man in the canon has the right to beat his wife when she doesn't listen to his orders. He has the right to even kill him. In cases where she abandons or betrays”.

Sister Christina was placed 20 years ago on the outskirts of Shkodra, where, under the representation of the Catholic order of the hoods, she helps the poorest and women. The house where she and two other sisters of honor are located is thought of as some kind of monastery, but now it works more like the humanitarian association than as a prayer house, further follows albinfo.ch. It serves the poorest as a health station, as a point for distribution of food, clothing, and so on.

But this monastery is primarily a milestone for women who experience violence in their families. Such “in this area is sadly, if not most women”, says the nun. She adds that such treatment of women is a serious social wound in Albania, especially in its north and in parts of Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro. To change the situation slightly, she gathers about twenty girls and boys with whom she regularly conducts debate once a week under this house.

Following the text is the case of 17-year-old Christian, who is forced to live in silence and fear of blood feuds. All of this because of an uncle who killed a fellow villager and Christian 21 years ago, in accordance with the canon, “has revenge” to pay blood on this murder, broadcast albinfo.ch. Meanwhile, his uncle, after the prison's finished, fled somewhere west. Christian, from the day he was 16 years old, according to the canon rules, is the legal “cret” of blood feud.

Sister Christina says there must be about 200 families in northern Albania living under threat of blood feud.

Christian's family, to be away from blood, has moved from the suburb of Theth to the suburbs of Shkodra. Christian, like his father, spends most of his time indoors in front of the TV. Going out to play soccer with friends is very dangerous for him. But mornings make an exception, however. His bike goes to school. Every day he chooses another bead. But even so, he risks being killed every day. Even though the bloodsuffer lives far away, Christian lives in fear every day, follows albinfo.ch. I have to live with this”, he says, depriated, empty.

In division, Christian's father gives Sister Christina a note with the address of blood. She takes the note and promises to visit the family of those who have “to receive blood and ask for forgiveness. Upward mediators have not succeeded.

Blood - forgiveness treatments in northern Albania are made only by persons known and respected equally by both families. Some local mayor, for example. But the safest reconciliation is when it's made by the priest. And it's even better when personally the Archbishop of Shkodra Catholic Diocese, Monsignor Angelo Massafra.

He makes some personal adjustments within the year. But only on holidays, such as the Passover or the Rockshaw. Only after a civil mediator has talked in advance with both families and told him that reconciliation is possible, Massafra makes two families together. He even does so in a family home that needs to be passed on to albinfo.ch. First Massafra begged the handbill family in front of everyone for forgiveness. If that is accepted, Archbishop Masafra begins the ceremony. He puts a metal cross on the table, which each member of the family must kiss personally. An abundant lunch is served at completion. And they're looking at their raki glasses for the restored honor.

In Muslim families instead of kissing the Koran.

But, the paper says, there are times when reconciliation works even without a cross and a cure: Sister Christina, six weeks after our visit to the Christian family, has also visited the blood family in the Tropoja area, near the Kosovo border. Five hours to get there by field car. After a long co-production, the blood family has promised her that you are giving up revenge. And he ordered him to announce the family down there in Shkodra they forgave him. “They've suffered enough already and eventually want to forget”.