ERITREA: A New Eparchy inaugurated; New Bishop consecrated
 |
| Commissioning of the new Eparch as the Teacher of the Word of God |
The Catholics in Eritrea witnessed the inauguration of the new epacchy of Segheneity and the consecration of Abune Fikremariam Hagos Tsalim as its first Bishop on 27th May 2012.
The solidarity message read by Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo,
Secretary General of AMECEA who represented the AMECEA Chairman, Most Rev. Tarcisius
Ziyaye during the consecration ceremony congratulated the conference and commended the creation of the Eparchy as a sign of growth in the Catholic Faith not only in Eritrea but also in the whole AMECEA Region.
Secretary General of AMECEA who represented the AMECEA Chairman, Most Rev. Tarcisius
Ziyaye during the consecration ceremony congratulated the conference and commended the creation of the Eparchy as a sign of growth in the Catholic Faith not only in Eritrea but also in the whole AMECEA Region.
 |
| The Four Eparchs of Eritrea during the intercessory prayers |
The message further said
that it is also a great sign of the commitment of the Catholic Church to serve
the people of God despite the many challenges that may come our way and he therefore
joined the people of Eritrea in thanking the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI for
this great gift.
 |
| The Newly Consecrated Eparch Abune Fikremariam with members of his family; his sister on the left and mother on the right |
Archbishop Ziyaye also
noted in his message of solidarity that the Consecration of Abune Fikremariam
comes during a period in which the Church is reflecting on the theme of New
Evangelization; his message therefore to the newly consecrated Eparch was, “It
is also good to note that as Church; very soon we shall be starting the Year of
the Faith. My prayer for my brother in the Episcopate, Abune Fikremariam is
that Almighty God may accompany you and the flock which He has placed under
your care so that the office you have received today may bring about the growth
of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. May Christ the Good Shepherd be with you, my
brother, and guide you in your commitment to teach, sanctify and oversee the
portion of the people of God He has entrusted to your pastoral care.”
 |
|
Abune Mengheteab Tesfamariam, Eparch of Asmara,
Abune Fikremariam HagosTsalim, Eparch of Segheneity and Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo, AMECEA Secretary General |
From what he witnessed
during the consecration ceremony, Fr. Ferdinand is convinced that holistic
participation of the clergy, the laity and religious which was demonstrated by
all who were present is a sign of great commitment of Eritrean people to the
Catholic Church as there were signs of excitement and gratitude for the
appointment of the new bishop and the erection of the new Eparchy.
Apart from attending the
consecration ceremony of the new Eparch for Segheneity on behalf of the
chairman, Fr. Ferdinand also had the opportunity to meet the entire episcopate
of Eritrea to discuss many issues that would strengthen their participation in
the common functions of AMECEA.
However, one of the
challenges he met was government restriction on foreigners’ movements in the
country, which hindered him from visiting other two Eparchies (Dioceses) namely
Eparchy of Keren and Eparchy of Barentu. According to government policy in
Eritrea, foreigners’ movement from one place to another is highly restricted. Equally
restricted by the government policy is citizens’ movement to other countries.
This, Fr. Ferdinand explains has a negative effect on Christians who stand
chances of loosing out by not getting the opportunity to attend and participate
in Christian functions organized outside Eritrea.
 |
| Abune Fikremariam Hagos Tsalim, Eparch of Segheneity |
All in all he said that
the future of the Church in Eritrea depends very much on the commitment of all
agents of evangelization to participate more in the social ministry of the
Church so as to transform the lives of Eritreans. There is also need for
international bodies to mediate with the Eritrean government so as to change
its policy on Missionaries movements in order to accommodate the activities of
the Church which are currently limited due to restrictions on the movements of
foreigners and other agents of evangelization. However as it is now, the future
of the Church is very bright and growth is eminence as some dioceses are having
vibrant vocations especially to priesthood and religious life.
the future of the Church in Eritrea depends very much on the commitment of all
agents of evangelization to participate more in the social ministry of the
Church so as to transform the lives of Eritreans. There is also need for
international bodies to mediate with the Eritrean government so as to change
its policy on Missionaries movements in order to accommodate the activities of
the Church which are currently limited due to restrictions on the movements of
foreigners and other agents of evangelization. However as it is now, the future
of the Church is very bright and growth is eminence as some dioceses are having
vibrant vocations especially to priesthood and religious life.
The new Eparchy of Segheneity has been curved off from the bigger Eparchy of Asmara and is now the fourth Eparchy in Eritrea. The new Eparchy was erected on 24th February 2012 and covers 29,499 square kilometers (11,393 Square Miles).
Source:AMECEA Social Communications Office
