Show of religious diversity as Kosovo's Catholics and Muslims mark Ash and Ramadan in one week

Описание: (19 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pristina, Kosovo - 18 February 2026
1. Wide of Mother Teresa cathedral
2. Wide of worshippers entering cathedral
3. Close of cross
4. Various of ceremony
5. Various of worshippers praying
6. Various of priest blessing worshippers with ash
7. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Dede Palokaj, Catholic worshipper:
“It is a special opportunity that this year we have Lent and Ramadan together — two Abrahamic faiths. What unites us is fasting, shared prayer, solidarity, and love. It is a very old treasure that we come together in this way. It is a special case that these two holidays are coinciding, and this happens very rarely."
8. Wide of worshippers being blessed with ash
9. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Genc Krasniqi, Catholic worshipper:
“Each has their own religious celebrations, but we have only one God, while the practice is carried out in different ways.”
10. Various of worshippers being blessed with ash
11. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Don Agin Qerkini, Parish priest of Pristina:
”The issue of religious tolerance among Albanians is a good example for many peoples; it is a reality we are proud of, precisely because our history, as we know, has faced many different hardships. Yet among us, the question of national identity has always prevailed — one that dates back to very ancient times — while faith is what ennobled us for many centuries, especially through Christianity, giving us all these figures and this rich culture that we still enjoy today. Regardless of the challenges we Albanians have faced, we preserve brotherhood among ourselves, and it should remain so in the future. We must never allow religion to divide us or create dissatisfaction among us.”
12. Wide of cathedral ++NIGHT SHOTS++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prizren, Kosovo - 19 February 2026
13. Various of Varis Hashimi, Muslim worshipper, holding fireworks and crossing stone bridge
14. Various of Hashimi walking towards castle
15. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Varis Hashimi, Muslim worshipper:
“The idea is to revive an old tradition from the former Ottoman Empire that had been forgotten which is that now I announce iftar with two fireworks. At the time of the Ottoman Empire, iftar was announced with a cannon, and now we are practicing it with two fireworks.”
16. Tilt up of Hashimi
17. Various of Hashimi lighting fireworks
18. Various of Prizen skyline
19. Close of mosque minaret
20. Various of people eating in restaurants ++NIGHT SHOTS++
21. Pan left of square ++NIGHT SHOTS++
STORYLINE:
Kosovo's religious diversity came to light this week as the Balkan nation's Christian Catholic and Muslim communities both embarked on a traditional period of fasting and spiritual reflection.

This year marks a rare occasion when the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Ash Wednesday, a Catholic celebration, coincided, encouraging tolerance and understanding between different religions.

Kosovo, a young nation of 2 million people which is more than 90% Muslim, still feels the consequences of the war it waged for independence from predominantly Orthodox Christian Serbia in the 1990s.

“It is a special opportunity that this year we have Lent and Ramadan together," Dode Palukaj, who is a Catholic, said. “What unites us is fasting, shared prayer, solidarity and love.”

Don Agim Qerkini, a Catholic priest in Pristina, praised religious tolerance in Kosovo, calling on worshippers to "preserve brotherhood."

"We must never allow religion to divide us or create dissatisfaction among us," he added.





===========================================================


Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...