ETHIOPIA: Need for Church’s Intervention amid Tigray’s Conflict, Prelates in Ethiopia at 50th Assembly
Fr. Teshome Fikre
At the 50th Plenary Assembly for the members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE), the Prelates have discussed how the Church should play her prophetic role to reach the needy people in the country who are suffering due to Tigray’s conflict that broke early last month.
The Church leaders disclosed that due to the magnitude of crisis in the country, the President of the CBCE His Eminence Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel in a meeting with Ethiopia country Caritas Forum are to help find ways and means to raise funds and send emergency support to those who are affected.
As a way forward, the CBCE’s general secretariat in collaboration with Ethiopia country Caritas Forum have established a task force studying the situation and have sent an appeal to Caritas Internationalis and International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE), an umbrella organization for Catholic development agencies from Europe and North America.
Cardinal Berhaneyesus of Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Archdiocese during the homily on the opening of the five-day assembly, asked the Church leaders to pray for the Local Ordinary of Adigrat Bishop Tesfasillassie Medhin together with the religious men and women, all catholic lay faithful and those affected and are experiencing difficulties due to the on-going armed conflict.
During the meeting which commenced Monday, December 14 and concluded Friday 18, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ethiopia Archbishop Antoine Camilleri expressed solidarity with Bishop Medhin who was missing in the assembly because of the situation in his diocese which is located in the northern part of the country where the war is hard hit.
He assured Bishop Medhin that the Universal Church together with Pope Francis and Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Leonardo Cardinal Sandri are in solidarity with Ethiopia through prayers even if the situation cannot allow direct communication.
The Prelates who were meeting at the Provincial house of the Consolata Missionaries, urged the Conference of Catholic Major Superiors of Ethiopia to join hands and together with the Church support those affected through humanitarian aid.
The Church leaders noted that the Catholic Church is working with other Faith-based organizations under the set framework by the government to reach the many affected people in the country.
The members of CBCE who expressed solidarity with the nation immediately the war broke in Tigray and called for ceasefire and genuine dialogue also discussed other issues including restructuring of the CBCE General Secretariat, and eventually laid ground breaking stone of a six floor income generating building for the conference.
