The death of Father Antonio Bellusci/ Who was the colossus of Arberia?

2024-06-20 13:11:00, Kulturë CNA

Father Antonio Bellusci

Father Antonio Bellusci has passed away at the age of 90, after suffering from a serious illness for a long time.

Father Antonio was the colossus of Arberia, citizen and son of Kosovo and Albania, brother of all Albanians, who devoted his whole life and last energy to the Arberian world.

Father Antonio Bellusci was born in Frasnitë, a town in Arbëre, on September 15, 1934. He completed his University Studies in Philosophy at the Greco-Byzantine College in Rome.

He was ordained a priest in 1962. Father Bellusci was a scholar and researcher of the Arbërian and Arvanite worlds.

Professor Doctor Bellusci is the author of 25 scientific works on the culture and ethnography of Arbëre. Researcher for about 40 years on the Arvanites of Greece, which he summarized in two works.

He is the author of the list of 920 Arvanite villages with their original toponyms, where more than 3000 people have been registered and recorded. A close friend of Arisidh Kollja, Vagjel LLjapi, Jorgo Miha and many other Arvanitas, who preserved and preserve their arboreal identity.

The only Arbëresh participant in the Illyrian Assembly in 1972. Founder of the magazine "Vatra nõna", 1963. Founder of the International magazine "Lidhja", 1980. Founder of the Albanianological Center, 1980. Founder of the A. Bellusci Library, 1960.

He opened the first school for Albanian children in the diaspora near his library in 1994. The defender of the Kosovo Issue, being the first since 1989, when Kosovo was still being discussed about Human Rights Violations, he launched the thesis "Kosovo Republic! "

He was the first who in the years 1998-1999 considered the war against Kosovo a genocide, and in this year he dedicated articles, but also the cover of his magazine "Lidhja" to this tragedy done to the Kosovar people.

Father Antonio Bellusci

His work and activity has been honored with:

- Presidential medal from the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani

- "Naim Frashëri" medal by order of the President of the Republic of Albania

- "Prizren Connection" medal from President Ibraim Rrugova

-Mother Teresa medal.

Father Bellusci was the only Honorary Member of the Albanian-American League lobby founded by former American senator Dioguardi from Arbëresh for the Kosovo issue.

Father Bellusci, in his simplicity and love, worked for the preservation of the language and culture of the Arbërs of Italy, awakened the Arbër feelings of the Arvanites, strengthened and increased the national consciousness of the Albanians of Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, as well as the Albanian Diaspora everywhere. there are Albanians so as not to forget the Albanian language.

Everything that surrounded the tree world Father Bellusci is there, tireless, energetic, like an inexhaustible stone for the tree nation./ CNA