- Aug 27, 2014
- 13,565
- 13,723
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Oriental Orthodox
- Marital Status
- Private
I suppose with much of the news coming out of Ethiopia these days being on the trouble with Tigray, we're bound to miss some things as laypeople in her sister churches, but I was still shocked to learn yesterday that about a month ago, a bishop within the EOTC in the Oromia region of Ethiopia went into schism by attempting to elevate himself to 'Patriarch of Oromia', a position which obviously does not exist (the EOTC Patriarch is HH Abune Matthias, period), and moreover could not exist because Oromia is not a separate country. This is, as far as I'm concerned, one step away from the dreaded heresy of ethnophyletism that has plagued our EO friends in the past (the only reason I'm even writing 'one step away' is because I don't know anything about the ethnic background of the renegade bishop in question, so I don't know if he is an ethnic Oromo or not). Ethiopia itself as a country may arrange its regions according to their primary ethnic makeup (e.g., Tigray from the Tigrayans, Oromia from the Oromo, Afar from the Afar, etc.), but the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is a fittingly 'supra-ethnic' institution, embracing every people from the Semites of the highlands, to the Cushites of the south and east (the Oromo themselves being the largest single group), to the Omotic and other peoples of the south like the Dorze and many others. So this is distressing, and certainly not something that the EOTC or Ethiopia more generally needs on its plate right now (or ever; Lord have mercy).
Obviously HH Abune Matthias and all others within the EOTC who are not among those who conspired to hold this 'Oromia Holy Synod' which announced this phony elevation in the first place completely reject this action (HH already summoned bishops from the around the world to discuss this when it originally happened, back in January). In addition, here is the official statement of the Coptic Orthodox Church concerning this situation:
May the Holy Trinity protect our bishops in every place within the holy Orthodox Church of God, and may schisms cease and those who precipitate them renounce their evil works and return in obedience, with a spirit of repentance.
Obviously HH Abune Matthias and all others within the EOTC who are not among those who conspired to hold this 'Oromia Holy Synod' which announced this phony elevation in the first place completely reject this action (HH already summoned bishops from the around the world to discuss this when it originally happened, back in January). In addition, here is the official statement of the Coptic Orthodox Church concerning this situation:
May the Holy Trinity protect our bishops in every place within the holy Orthodox Church of God, and may schisms cease and those who precipitate them renounce their evil works and return in obedience, with a spirit of repentance.