AMECEA: 19th Plenary Assembly Preparatory Committee outlines important General Information to the Delegates
The preparatory committee of the 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly which is scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa Ethiopia has compiled General Information which is of great interest to the plenary delegates. Among these include Liturgical requirements whereby all members of the Episcopate are required to carry their Black Cassocks, Albs, Mitres, Amices and Cinctures. Also important to note is that all members of the Episcopate will be provided with Stoles and Chasubles for use during all the liturgical celebrations. All priests on the other hand are required to carry Albs, Amices and Cinctures.
Other important information that the preparatory committee has compiled include weather where delegates are informed that July is very cold and rainy in Addis Ababa, the Capital City of Ethiopia, therefore they should carry warm clothes as well as umbrellas. Other general information such as Ethiopian Currency, electric power sockets and adapters used, security issues, visa requirements, journalistic equipment, health as well as persons to contact are included in the document provided below.
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General Information for the 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly Guests
July 13-23, 2018
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The 19th Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) Plenary Assembly will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from July 13-23, 2018 on the theme “Vibrant Diversity, Equal Dignity, Peaceful Unity in God in the AMECEA Region.”
What is the Plenary Assembly?
The Plenary Assembly is the supreme authority within the Association and all office bearers and other bodies of the Association are ultimately answerable to this authority. Consequently, the Plenary Assembly begins with the Study Session where the Bishops together with the other delegates reflect on the pre-chosen theme of relevance to the mission of the Church in the region in order to come up with resolutions that will guide the pastoral activities of the Association. The second part of the Plenary Assembly is the Business Session during which Bishops receive reports from office bearers and other bodies and make decisions that guide the operations of such bodies in the next four years. During the Business Session, the Bishops also elect the various office bearers in the institutions of the Association.
The overall schedule is as follows
| DATE | ACTIVITY | VENUE |
| Friday July 13, 2018 | Arrival of Bishops | Bole International Airport |
| Saturday July 14, 2018 | *Spiritual recollection of Bishops *Arrival of other delegates | UNECA Conference Center1
Bole International Airport |
| Sunday July 15, 2018 | *Opening Holy Mass
*Opening Ceremony (afternoon) |
Millennium Hall (near Bole Airport)
UNECA Conference Center |
| Monday July 16, 2018 | Study session | UNECA Conference Center |
| Tuesday July 17, 2018 | Study session | UNECA Conference Center |
| Wednesday July 18, 2018 | Study session | UNECA Conference Center |
| Thursday July 19, 2018 | *Departure of other delegates
*Free excursions |
Bole International Airport |
| Friday July 20, 2018 | Business session | UNECA Conference Center |
| Saturday July 21, 2018 | Business session | UNECA Conference Center |
| Sunday July 22, 2018 | *Closing Holy Mass | Nativity Cathedral |
| Monday July 23, 2018 | Departure | Bole International Airport |
1 UNECA – United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
General Information about Addis Ababa2
| No. | CATEGORY | GENERAL INFORMATION |
| 1 | Liturgical Requirements | a) All members of the Episcopate should carry their Black Cassocks. In addition, they should bring with them their an Albs, Mitres, Amices and Cinctures.
b) All members of the Episcopate will be provided with Stoles and Chasubles for use during all the liturgical celebrations of the Plenary Assembly. c) All Priests should carry their Albs, Amices and Cinctures for purposes of liturgical celebrations. d) The liturgical booklet which has already been prepared contains the Order of Mass both in the Latin Rite and Ethiopian Rite (for purposes of the Opening Ceremony) together with the other Prayers during the sessions, that is, Morning and Evening Prayers. Delegates are therefore expected to carry their Breviaries for the other parts of the Liturgy of the Hours. |
| 2 | Weather | The weather in Addis Ababa in July is cold and rainy. So pack warm clothes and bring an umbrella. |
| 3 | Currency exchange | Ethiopian currency is called Birr (Ethiopian Birr / ETB).
As on May 17, 2018, the exchange rate is: 1 USD=27.79 1 GBP=35.74 1 EUR=32.72 You can exchange your currency when you arrive at the airport. The currency exchange office inside the airport is open 24 hours. An individual will also be assigned by the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat who will exchange your currency for you at the bank using your passport. You will be notified of the contact person on arrival. |
| 4 | Language | Amharic is the language used in Addis Ababa but you should not have any problem as most of the people you will meet will understand English. |
| 5 | Local calendar and time | Ethiopia is using the Julian calendar, though we also do use the Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar is 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar. A full year runs from September up to August. Currently (May 2018), we are in the 9th month of the year 2010EC.
In Ethiopia, the day is divided into a 12-hour day and a 12-hour night. Morning starts at 7am (meaning 1 in Ethiopia) and evening starts at 7pm (again meaning 1 in Ethiopia.) But most people do understand am/pm as well as the 24-hour format. |
| 6 | Accommodation & hotel services | Bishops and Partners will be accommodated at the following address:
Intercontinental Addis Hotel P.O.Box 5907 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel. +44 20 3027 6614 Other delegates will be accommodated in congregation and guest houses. The name and address of their accommodation will be sent to them after receiving the registration form. |
| 7 | Transportation (taxi) | Bishops will be received at the airport by an assigned person and be taken to their hotel. They will be briefed about their transportation services for the plenary.
Other delegates who will be arriving on July 14 need to contact the AMECEA desk which will be setup in the airport reception area. The volunteers at the AMECEA desk will then take the delegates to their arranged transportation, which will take them to where they will be accommodated (congregation or guest house.) Please note transportation will be provided for those who have filled and submitted the registration form on time. If any change in flight schedule, please inform us ahead of time. Transportation details for the plenary (driver’s name and address, car plate number, etc) will be available at the AMECEA desk upon arrival. For those who might be arriving later than July 14, please let us know ahead of time so that we may arrange transportation and provide further information. Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa has 2 terminals: Terminal 1 (Domestic Terminal) and Terminal 2 (International Terminal.) Please note the arrival and departure flights at Terminal 1: *JUBA……………………-JUB *DOHA……………………DOH *HARGEISA………………..-HGA *DJIBOUTI………………..-JIB *MUSCAT………………….-MCT *DAMMAM………………….-DMM *JEDDAH………………….-JED *RIYADH………………….-RUH *KUWAIT…………………..KWI Other international arrival and departure flights are at Terminal 2. For those guests who would like to move around Addis Ababa, you can use the blue taxi (lada) which you can find on any street (and negotiate the price), or the yellow meter taxi (which you have to call or use the meter taxi app to contact one.) You can download the application (RIDE Passenger) on Google Play or iOS. Just in case, you need to be careful in using taxis at night. |
| 8 | Communication | Free WIFI is available at the airport, venue (UNECA) and hotels. There is no free WIFI at the Millennium Hall. For those who will be accommodated in congregations and guest houses, there might not be free WIFI in those places. To buy a SIM card, you need passport copy and passport size picture. For any assistance, you will be notified of the contact person on arrival. If you will be using a local SIM card, please register your mobile phone at the airport customs office. |
| 9 | Security | The security in Addis Ababa is good. But, in general, you need to be alert for pickpockets. |
| 10 | Voltage | In Ethiopia, the power sockets are of type C, E, F and L. The standard voltage is 220 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz. |
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11 |
Touristic areas |
Some touristic areas in Addis Ababa are: National Museum of Ethiopia, Ethnological Museum (inside Addis Ababa University, the former residence of Emperor Haileselassie I), Red Terror Martyrs’ Memorial Museum, Tiglachin Monument (& the Ethiopia-Cuba Friendship Memorial
Park), Addis Ababa Museum, The Zoological Natural History Museum, Modern Art Museum, Mount Entoto (& Entoto Maryam Church), Yekatit 12 monument, Monument to the Lion of Judah, Menelik II Square, Tewodros Square, Abune Petros Memorial, Gulele Botanical Garden, TOMOCA Coffee, etc. |
| 12 | Shopping centers | For traditional items, we have market districts: Shiro Meda & the traditional shops near the main post office.
There are also various shopping malls mostly in the Bole area (near Bole Airport): Dembel, Edna, Friendship, Snap, Mafi, Morning Star, Getu, etc. There are also shopping malls in other parts of the city. For more information, please check online. There are various supermarkets, pharmacies, etc all over the city. There is one hypermarket in Megenagna called Shoa Hypemarket (inside Zefmesh Grand Mall.) |
| 13 | Meals & Restaurants | Please note that you need to fill the registration form if you have any specific dietary needs.
For those who want go out and enjoy the local culinary delights, there are traditional restaurants that provide traditional food and traditional dance in the evening: 2000 Habesha Cultural Restaurant, Yod Abyssinia Restaurant, Dashen Traditional Restaurant, Bata Restaurant and Bar, etc. There are also other restaurants with an international taste. For more information, please check online. |
| 14 | Visa | Please make sure you fulfill all visa and entry requirements. For further information, the contact person is:
Ms. Mihret Seifu ecc.sdco@gmail.com / mihiret2002@yahoo.com Whatsapp & Viber: +251911874099 |
| 15 | Journalistic Equipment | Please make note to carry only simple cameras (like tourists do), not heavy journalistic equipment. Such heavy and many equipment would need prior permission from the Ethiopian authorities, which the individual / journalist has to request ahead of time. For more information, the contact person is:
Ms. Makeda Yohannes +251911480336 |
| 16 | Health | Medical professionals and ambulances will be available at venues for any emergencies.
For those who would like to use the UN Health Care Center, the prices in USD range from $2 up to $300. |
| 17 | Contact persons | General: Secretary General – Fr. Hagos Hayish, C.M.,
mobile: +251 911509143 Deputy Secretary General – Fr. Teshome Fikre mobile: +251 930097686 Visa Section: Ms. Mihret Seifu ecc.sdco@gmail.com / mihiret2002@yahoo.com mobile: +251911874099 Transportation: Mr. Asfaha Woldu mobile: +251 911229576 Accommodation: Mr. Mesay Mario mobile: +251 911172637 Health: Br. Hugo Verhulst mobile: +251 911098965 (Other) contact persons for various categories will be provided upon your arrival. |
2 Please note that all places mentioned on the General Information can be found on Google Maps.
