Vatican Insider: Francis welcomed Fr. Ernest Simoni – the Albanian priest who spent 28 years behind bars – by kissing his hands. A moved Pope had embraced the man on 21 September 2014 in Tirana, after listening to the account of his persecution. “Fr. Ernest was subjected to 11,000 days of torture and forced labour,” says Mimmo Muolo, a journalist who writes for Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire. Muolo also authored a book on Fr. Ernest Simoni. From persecution to his meeting with the Pope. The priest handed a copy of the book to the Pope in person. He was accompanied by Sister Marisa, a representative of Edizioni Paoline which published the volume. More here.
