Communist authority and the Catholic Church in the fight for influence on Albanian community in socialist Montenegro (1945–1955)

ABSTRACT The paper analyzes the activities of the Catholic Church in the regions of Montenegro inhabited by the population of ethnic Albanians, from 1945 to 1955. In the preparation of the paper, we have predominantly used relevant historical sources stored in the State Archives of Montenegro and relevant literature, which give various information about the subject of the Catholic Church. The aim of this paper is to point out that in the first decade of socialist rule in Montenegro, the Catholic Church was active among the Albanian population, not allowing the Communist Party to question its prestige in the area, and achieve significant influence among Albanians of the Catholic faith.