ETHIOPIA: Rekindle Love in Families, Have “compassion for the homeless”: Ethiopian Cardinal Amidst COVID-19
HE Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE).
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel has encouraged Christians to rekindle love in families so as to “overcome the challenges of the pandemic.
Cardinal Souraphiel stated this in his pastoral letter signed on the eve of Pentecost Sunday, June 6, following the Ethiopian Calendar when the Catholic faithful commemorated the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.
He urged all Catholics to be concerned with the vulnerable especially children saying, “Our home is our space of security. It is there that we learned to love, to grow and to socialize. There is warmth in a house where love reigns. Children become well-developed in a house where charity rules. A house that welcomes love becomes beautiful. Prayers flow easily in such a house.”
“Let us hence spark the fire of love in order to overcome the challenges of the pandemic. For love is as strong as death (and) Love is even stronger than death because of the death and resurrection of Christ,” the Cardinal added.
Cardinal Berhaneyesus who is the president of the Ethiopian Catholic Bishops Conferences and the local Ordinary of Addis Ababa reminded Christians that unity in families is reinforced through love which is the basis of society and the Church.
“Families established on divine love are the foundation of the society and the Church,” reads the statement
In the statement, he also encouraged Christians to be charitable as he quoted Jesus who said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.”
“In this connection, we may recall those who eat from hand to mouth. It would be wrong to say, “Let the fittest survive” and let us abandon the weak. That would be to harm ourselves and our society,” he added.
in the same pastoral letter, Cardinal Souraphiel addressed the importance of being stewards of creation. Referencing Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si”.
He appreciated what other nations are doing towards care of creation saying, “In some countries, mother earth enjoys good attention. Trees are planted in her honour at anniversaries, weddings, graduations or any other feasts. People plant as many trees as the number of the years of anniversaries. By doing this, they alleviate the earth’s suffering. They counter the damage caused by human greed and irresponsible exploitation.”
