Qerim Sadiku

Blessed Qerim Sadiku Qerim Sadiku was born in Vuthaj of Shkodër on 12 February 1919. He was married to Marije Vatën in September of 1944. They only had a son, named Gaspër. As he was born six months after his arrest, Qerimi never saw him. He was a life-long layperson within the Diocese of Shkodra, now Shkodër-Pult. Qerim was arrested and imprisoned in Shkodër on 3 December 1945. On 22 February 1946, after a show trial, the sentences were read. Eight were sentenced to death by shooting: Fr Gjon Shllaku , Fr Giovanni Fausti , Fr Daniel Dajani , seminarians Mark Çuni and Gjergj Bici, lay people Gjelosh Lulashi , Fran Mirakaj, and Qerim Sadiku . The others accused with them were sentenced to prison, for a period that could go from five years to the whole of life, in fact, if they had even minimally transgressed. For Gjergj Bici, the sentence was later commuted into years of forced labor, while Fran Mirakaj is reported to have died in September 1946. At dawn on 4 March 1947, the remaining six were transported to the Catholic Cemetery of Shkodër (Varrezat e Rrmajit), where they were executed. At 6 am, the order was given to the eight soldiers of the platoon, armed with machine guns, to "FIRE". On 5 November 2016, beatification was celebrated at the Square of the Katedralja e Shën Stefanit in Shkodër, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato.