Christian World | Albanian Cardinal Ernest Simoni, 98, sentenced to death in 1963 for a Mass for John F. Kennedy, tells EWTN News faith sustained him through prison

ACW | October 31, 2026 — Cardinal Ernest Simoni, a 98-year-old Albanian priest sentenced to death by Albania's communist government in 1963, said his faith sustained him through years of imprisonment, in an interview with EWTN News.

Simoni spoke to "EWTN News In Depth" in an interview dated October 30, EWTN News reported. He was arrested and sentenced to death in 1963 after celebrating a Mass for the repose of the soul of US President John F. Kennedy.

He was imprisoned and tortured, and his death sentence was commuted to forced labor, EWTN reported. Simoni secretly said Mass every day and believes he would likely have been hanged had the authorities found out.

He said he holds no resentment toward his persecutors. "We are required to pray for every enemy, that God has mercy," he said.

Simoni was freed from forced labor after Albania's Party of Labor was dissolved in 1991 but remained under state surveillance, according to EWTN. Earlier this year he returned to the prison where he was tortured and celebrated Mass publicly. He is due to visit the United States in November.

Background: Pope Francis heard Simoni's testimony in 2014 and in 2016 named him one of 17 bishops and priests from around the world to the College of Cardinals, calling him "a living martyr," EWTN reported. A Rome conference earlier this month examined the Holy See's response to 20th-century totalitarian regimes; read ACW's report.

Why it matters: Simoni was sentenced to death after celebrating a religious service and spent nearly three decades imprisoned in communist Albania, according to EWTN News. Pope Francis called him "a living martyr."

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: EWTN News — Cardinal Simoni says faith sustained him through death sentence

Photo: EWTN News