In an austere church perched above a picturesque valley in central Kosovo, Ismet Sopi recounts how his family hid their Catholic faith for centuries, after converting to Islam during the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. For generations, his forebears maintained their religious convictions secretly, he explains, until 2008 when Sopi and his family openly embraced their Catholicism and were baptised together. "Until 2008 we lived as closeted Catholics. We lived with two religions, Catholic and Muslim," Sopi explains. "From the Muslim religion we usually openly celebrated Eid, while from the Catholic religion we usually celebrated Christmas and Easter." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES