ETHIOPIA: Cardinal Berhaneyesus celebrates 40th Priestly Anniversary
H.E. Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel, Chairman of AMECEA and Metropolitan Archbishop of Addis Ababa Ethiopia
The Chairman of AMECEA H.E. Berhaneysus D. Cardinal Souraphiel C.M., on July 4, 2016 celebrated 40th Anniversary of his priestly ordination with a call to young Priests to take advantage of the opportunities available today to spread the Good News tirelessly.
Archdiocese chancellor
The Cardinal thanked the Lord for granting him 40 years of service as a priest and said that priests are never alone in their services as God is always with them. “Priesthood is a life of service, we must always remember that our life is about serving Christ our Lord and he is always with us,” he said adding that “If we put him first and follow his calling then we can be successful in strengthening the Dioceses, the parishes, serve the faithful as good shepherd and in turn we will strengthen our Church,” he said.
Recalling his 40 years’ experience as a priest, Cardinal Berhaneyesus remembered the harsh realities that were taking place in Ethiopia due to political influences on religions when he first began serving the Church as a priest and thanked God for the protection bestowed on him. Religions were being persecuted in Ethiopia when His Eminence was serving as a young priest and he was even arrested and kept in isolation in a dark room for 1 month.
He said that the Church is now thinking about the next generation and is working on preparing people who can follow their call and become good Pastoral Agents. “Family is the base for everything, in our Church we are encouraging young Catholics to start families and raise their children according to the teachings of the Church,” he said.
His Eminence also reiterated his concerns about the issue of illegal migration and said that Africa needs to be united upfront in fighting human trafficking in order to protect young boys and girls from being victims of this horrific act.
“Pope Francis has assigned me to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants, this is very critical for our country at this time as in Ethiopia and in the horn of Africa illegal migration is a burning issue,” he said.
On social issues Cardinal Berhaneysus said that the Catholic Church in Ethiopia is also working on strengthening the Catholic University of St. Thomas Aquinas that it may produce well educated citizens who are well prepared to take over the next generation in every aspect.
“Our Church believes that education is very important in building an ethical and well prepared citizen, for over a century and half we have been providing modern education to men and women in Ethiopia and we want to continue with that service at a tertiary level by strengthening our University. We believe creating links with Universities in the AMECEA region will also contribute to this goal,” said the Cardinal.
Cardinal Berhaneyesus also expressed his wish to see the Holy Father, Pope Francis visiting Ethiopia. He said, “I dream to witness Pope Francis becoming the first Pontiff to visit Ethiopia.” He said that the government of Ethiopia and the African Union have extended an invitation to the Holy Father to visit Ethiopia,” he said while also urging the faithful to pray for its realization.
By Makeda Yohannes, CBCE Communications and Public Relation Office, Ethiopia
