EUROPE/ALBANIA - The figure of Father Ettore Cunial in view of the Day of the Missionary Martyrs

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - In view of the 29th "Day of Prayer and Fasting in memory of the Missionary Martyrs" of March 24 (see Fides, 16/3/2021), Agenzia Fides offers some testimonies of missionaries killed because of Gospel in different continents, in different times and contexts. For some of them the cause of beatification has been started, as in the case of Father Ettore Cunial, of the Congregation of Saint Josph, killed in Durazzo in October 2001.
He was born in Possagno (Treviso), on 13 August 1933 and had been a priest since 1962. Teacher, community director parish priest, superior: such were his different responsibilities until, at the age of 67, he was sent as a missionary to Albania. In a few months, however, he had succeeded in interweaving his life with that of the local population, as the Postulator of the Cause, Father Giuseppe Rainone, tells Fides.
"On 8 October 2020, with a simple and solemn concelebration in the Cathedral of Tirana, Archbishop George Frendo, in agreement with the Congregation of Saint Joseph, officially opened the process of beatification of Fr. Ettore Cunial. 19 years have passed since his tragic death in the Nazareth House in Durazzo on the evening of October 8, 2001.
Fr. Ettore had arrived in the community of Fier on November 19, 2000 and since March 21, 2001 he lived on the hill of Durazzo. The last obedience he received was the mandate for the mission in Albania. We remember his determination to get to work, to study the Albanian language, in search of a place where a new presence of the Congregation for the animation of young people and vocations could flourish. We imagine him at Nazareth House, on the hill of Moses in Durazzo, immersed in the care of the house, in the solitude of prayer, always welcoming to those who went to look for him, at home or on the phone, near and far. From there he went to town on foot, serving the Parish and religious communities, young people and families.
Humble and smiling, strong and tireless, he brought peace everywhere and created communion with everyone.
In a few months, the people were struck by his closeness to everyone, by his pastoral action made up of charity and compassion, of attention to spiritual and moral sufferings. Above all the priests, men and women religious, saw in him the makings of a good spiritual father, of a religious loving God and neighbor: many people took advantage of it for spiritual direction, for the preaching of retreats and the administration of the sacrament of reconciliation.
On the evening of October 8, 2001, a 17-year-old boy was waiting to kill him, with 17 stabs, at the instigation of one of his adult neighbors. The trial that followed the murder brought to light the moral and spiritual figure of the priest who had entered the hearts of so many in such a short time.
Fr. Cesare Cotemme, also a member of the Congregation of Saint Joseph, who had known him closely for several years, made the following comment: "The gift of Fr. Ettore is not only that of the tragic last hour, but of his entire life. It is an admirable and precious expression of the mystery of life, of a life received from God and spent entirely to love and serve Him: without ever resisting His will, without ever removing or excluding anyone from those who saw in him the reflection of the authentic presence of the Lord and in whom without distinction, under all appearances of good or evil, with the strength of his faith, Father Cunial knew how to perceive the face of God".
Mgr.Paolo Mietto, his fellow student and priest, then Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Napo, having learned of the death of Fr. Ettore said: "When I received the news of the murder, I spontaneously thought that, if in the divine forecasts there was one concerning a first martyr of the Congregation of Saint Joseph, Father Cunial was indicated to deserve it".
Mgr. Frendo, Archbishop of Tirana, in an interview on the beginning of his beatification process, said: "If I had to describe in just two words Father Ettore as I knew him, I could say that he was a 'true missionary' ... We took the initiative to begin the process for beatification because we are convinced of his holiness: his humility, in which it is not possible to become saints; his life of prayer, which was also reflected in his face; his apostolic zeal, which had no limits".
Other testimonies were expressed on the occasion of his death by those who had known him not only in Albania but also in Rome, in Saint Joseph at Vesuvius (Naples), in Acquedolci (Messina) and in Cefalù (Palermo) . These are people who give thanks to the Lord for having met him, for having benefited from his pastoral work; testimonies full of admiration and constant invocation to father Ettore himself.
We are aware that sometimes we do not shine with “attention” to the paths of the saints and that perhaps we consider them more a burden than a gift. However, we cannot miss the thought that this confrere does not belong only to our Congregation: he belongs to the Church and for the whole Church, he can be proposed as an example of the fact that a path of holiness is possible for everyone. As Pope Francis reminds us: "Do not be afraid of holiness… Do not be afraid to aim higher, to allow yourself to be loved and liberated by God. Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Holiness does not make you less human, because it is the encounter of your weakness with the strength of grace (GS 34)". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 17/3/2021)

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