Abuna of Ethiopia | |
---|---|
Bishopric | |
oriental | |
Incumbent: Mathias Since 28 February 2013 | |
Style | His Holiness |
Information | |
First holder | St. Frumentius (Bishop) Basilios (Patriarch) |
Established | c. 350 (Foundation) 1959 (Autocephaly) |
Cathedral | Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa |
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This is a list of the abunas of Ethiopia, the spiritual heads of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Abuna is known officially as Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum and Ichege of the See of Saint Taklehaimanot. The current Abuna, Mathias, acceded to this position on 28 February 2013. [1]
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, and it was granted autocephaly by Cyril VI, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, in 1959.
On 13 July 1948, the Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian churches reached an agreement that led to the elevation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church to the rank of an Autonomous Church; allowing the Archbishop of All Ethiopia to consecrate on his own bishops and metropolitans for the Ethiopian Church and to form a local Holy Synod. The Archbishop, however, is consecrated by the Pope of Alexandria along with the members of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
No. | Portrait | Abuna (Birth–Death) | Reign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Basilios (1891–1970) | 1959–1970 | Reigned during the 1960 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt and the 1965 Conference of Addis Ababa. Born in Mada Mikael as Gebre Giyorgis Wolde Tsadik | |
2 | Theophilos (1910–1979) | 1971–1976 | Confirmed by the Emperor after his election. [4] Deposed and arrested by the Derg; [5] [6] executed by strangling in 1979. [7] Born in Debre Elias as Meliktu Jenbere | |
3 | Takla Haymanot (1918–1988) | 1976–1988 | Met Pope John Paul II in 1981, in the first such meeting in modern times. [8] Born in Begemder as Melaku Wolde Mikael | |
4 | Merkorios (1938–2022) | 1988–2022 | Deposed by the EPRDF, which claimed that he willingly abdicated. Headed the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Exile from 1991 to 2018. [9] Entered into dual patriarch arrangement alongside Abune Mathias from 2018 to 2022. Born in Begemder as Ze-Libanos Fanta | |
5 | Paulos (1936–2012) | 1992–2012 | Reign disputed by followers of Abune Merkorios. Born in Adwa as Gebremedhin Woldeyohannes | |
6 | Mathias (born 1941) [10] | 2013–present | Reign disputed by followers of Abune Merkorios until 2018. [11] [12] [9] Entered into dual patriarch arrangement alongside Abune Merkorios from 2018 to 2022. Born in Agame as Teklemariam Asrat |
In 1959, the Coptic Orthodox Church granted autocephaly to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and elevated the Archbishop to the Patriarchal dignity and was enthroned with the title of: Patriarch and Re'ese Liqane Papasat Echege (Catholicos) of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The title of Ichege (Supreme Abbot) of the See of St. Tekle Haymanot of Debre Libanos was subsumed into the Patriarchate. The title of Ichege was revived and the title of Archbishop of Axum was added to the Patriarchal titles in 2005, as Axum was the seat of Ethiopia's first Bishop, St. Frumentius, and thus the oldest see in the church.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in sub-Saharan Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates back to the Christianization of the Kingdom of Aksum in 330, and has between 36 million and 51 million adherents in Ethiopia. It is a founding member of the World Council of Churches. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is in communion with the other Oriental Orthodox churches.
Frumentius was a Phoenician Christian missionary and the first bishop of Axum who brought Christianity to the Kingdom of Aksum. He is sometimes known by other names, such as Abuna and Aba Salama.
Abune Tekle Haymanot was an Ethiopian saint and monk mostly venerated as a hermit. He was the Abuna of Ethiopia who founded a major monastery in his native province of Shewa. He is significant for being the only Ethiopian saint popular both amongst Ethiopians and outside that country. Tekle Haymanot "is the only Ethiopian saint celebrated officially in foreign churches such as Rome and Egypt." His feast day is 30 August, and the 24th day of every month in the Ethiopian calendar is dedicated to Tekle Haymanot.
Abune Paulos was the fifth Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church from 1992 to his death in 2012. His full title was "His Holiness Abuna Paulos, Fifth Patriarch of the Orthodox Tewahido Church of Ethiopia, Ichege of the see of Saint Tekle Haymanot, Archbishop of Axum and one of the seven serving Presidents of the World Council of Churches."
Abuna is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as well as of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. It was historically used solely for the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Ethiopia during the more than 1000 years when the Coptic Patriarchate of Alexandria appointed only one bishop at a time to serve its Ethiopian flock. When referred to without a name following, it is Abun, and if a name follows, it becomes Abuna.
Abune Theophilos, also known as Abune Tewophilos, was the second Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He officially succeeded Abuna Basilios in 1971 after he had assumed the role of acting patriarch upon Abuna Basilios's death in 1970.
Abuna Takla Haymanot was the third Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church from 1976 to 1988.
Ethiopian ecclesiastical titles refers to the offices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, a hierarchical organization. Some of the more important offices are unique to it.
Abune Diosqoros was the fourth Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, appointed in April 2007.
This article, dealing with the Coptic Orthodox Church in Africa, is about the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in African countries other than Egypt.
Eritrea as a country and the Eritrean community are multi-religious. Eritrea has two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam.
Abuna Basilios was an Ethiopian-born first Archbishop or Abuna, and later the first Patriarch, of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Abuna Atnatewos II (Athanasius) was an Egyptian Copt who served as the Abuna or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (1869–1876).
The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. It was given autocephaly by Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, after Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Thus, the Eritrean Church accords a primacy of honor to the Coptic Church.
Abune Mathias is the sixth and current Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church since 2013. His full title is "His Holiness Abune Mathias I, Sixth Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum and Ichege of the See of Saint Taklehaimanot".
Abuna Qerellos IV was a Coptic priest from Egypt, who came to Ethiopia in 1926, becoming the Archbishop of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Except for a break between 1936 and 1945 which he spent in exile, Qerellos remained the head of the Ethiopian church until his death.
Abuna Abraham was a cleric of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, who was installed as the archbishop of the Ethiopian church during the Fascist Italian occupation following the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, in place of the legitimate Archbishop Abuna Qerellos IV.
The following is chronology of the Orthodox Tewahedo Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches from its base history to present.
The Tigrayan Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Axum, Tigray Region. It declared autocephaly on 7 May 2021, accusing the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church of not doing enough to speak out against the Tigray war, and for being too closely aligned with the Ethiopian government.