Bishop of Rrëshen
Msgr. Gjergj Meta was born in Durrës, Albania on 30 April 1976. After concluding his secondary school studies in 1994 entered in the episcopal seminary of Bari, Italy, where he spent his preparatory year. Between 1995 and 2000 he followed a course for preparation for the priesthood at the Faculty of Theology of the Regional Seminary of Molfetta, Bari. He was ordained a priest on 21 April 2001 for the then diocese of Durrës-Tiranë. From 2001 to 2002 he was parish vicar in the co cathedral church of St. Lucia in Durrës. From 2001 to 2006 he was member of the diocesan presbyteral council. From 2002 to 2003 he was parish vicar at the cathedral church of St. Paul in Tiranë and, from 2003 to 2006, its parish administrator. In the same period he was also head of university pastoral ministry in the archdiocese of Tiranë-Durrës and at national level. From 2006 to 2009 he attended courses in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, obtaining a licentiate. From 2009 to 2010 he was again parish vicar in the cathedral church of St. Paul in Tiranë. Since 2009 he has served as member of the presbyteral council and college of consulters, judge at the Albanese Interdiocesan Tribunal of first instance and lecturer in canon law at the Theological Institute of the Interdiocesan Seminary of Shkodër. From 2009 to 2012 he served as spokesperson for the Albanese Episcopal Conference. From 2010 to 2013 he was pastor of the parish of “St. John Vianney” in Kamza and administrator of the parishes of Gramza and Luz.