Eritrean Catholics to get their own Church in break with Ethiopians
Pope Francis has established a new Eastern Catholic Church for Eritrea, the first since the early 20th century, in what may be a move to ease the position of Catholics in the country. Roman Catholicism is
Pope Francis has established a new Eastern Catholic Church for Eritrea, the first since the early 20th century, in what may be a move to ease the position of Catholics in the country.
Roman Catholicism is one of the four religions tolerated in Eritrea, along with the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Evangelical Lutheran church and Islam.
Until now, the four Eritrean ‘eparchies’, or dioceses, have been part of the Ethiopian Catholic Church. However, the Vatican announced on Monday that they will now come under the authority of an Eritrean metropolitan archbishop, the present Bishop of Asmara, Menghesteab Tesfamariam.
Establishing the Eritrean Catholic Church as a separate jurisdiction may be calculated to improve its standing in the eyes of the government of Eritrea, which has fought a series of bloody wars with its more powerful neighbour Ethiopia including a long struggle for independence.
The Eritrean government has been accused of horrendous human rights abuses. According to Human Rights Watch, it is one of the most closed countries in the world and is characterised by “indefinite military service, torture, arbitrary detention, and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and religion”.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that more than 305,000 Eritreans – more than five per cent of the population – has fled the country during the past decade. Many of the migrants who perished in the Lampedusa tragedy, in which 360 people died when their ship sank, were from Eritrea.
There are an estimated 155,000 Catholics in Eritrea, though exact figures are hard to come by. Protestants, other than Lutherans, and adherents of minority faiths such as Jehovah’s Witnesses are severely persecuted.
semere 2 January 21, 2015
It is an important move from the Vatican to give the Eritrean Catholic Church its semi-autonomous status. Juridically more than a break from the Ethiopian Catholic Church, it has political implications in front of the state of Eritrea. The presence of the Catholic Church in Eritrea outdates that of Ethiopia. In any case, the Metropolitan Bishop of Asmara acquires a senior status that enables him to keep under one umbrella the Eparchies of the Eritrea when it comes to common pastoral and religious strategy.
Congratulations The Metropolitan Bishop Abune Menghesteab and the Eritrean Catholic Church!!
semere 2 January 21, 2015
Emma,
The residence of the Bishop in Asmara (Cathedral) is Kidane Mehret, not Our Lady of Rosary (the ex-Cattedrale). Please change the photo and put that of Kidane Mehret. There is no more Bishop in Our Lady of Rosary, since Bishop Luca Milesi was transferred to Barentu.
Solomon January 21, 2015
It is a good move, however, we need to give priority for the human right issues in Eritrea. Issais will not be please by the move. he has no religion at all. In his last interview he was targeting churches as business agents and more insult was throwing. I wonder how they will present their creditably. Whatever it is for the time being will not give sense unless Issais removed from power. But we need to pray for him to return to humanity from his mental problem before the whole coutry collapse in front of our eyes.
FM January 21, 2015
Semere, thanks for your education input. Solomon, from Christian perspective it is the sinner who needs more pastoral care and outreach. Let us pray that Isaias comes back from the devil he is to humanity.
semere 2 January 21, 2015
Emma,
The residence of the Bishop in Asmara (Cathedral) is Kidane Mehret, not Our Lady of Rosary (the ex-Cattedrale). Please change the photo and put that of Kidane Mehret. There is no more Bishop in Our Lady of Rosary, since Bishop Luca Milesi was transferred to Barentu.
AHMED SALEH !!! January 21, 2015
Semere
Thanks for the information . Many of us think
Cathedrale is the Bishop’s residence even though
KIDANE MIHRET has unique history in connection to
dekibat Catholics .
Tesfit January 21, 2015
The Eritrean Catholic Church being independent of Ethiopian Catholic Church is a huge news. Why I didn’t hear this on EriTv?
Oh I get it, news that doesn’t make emperor Isaias look good is reject. Only troubles and conflicts around the world are welcomed by the dictator’s media.
Anyway congrats to all Eri Catholics.
Daniel January 21, 2015
The best has yet to come for Eritrea, and this is a sound decision by the Catholic Church.
2015 just started , and the pre announced and expected positive news from inside and out side is flooding, the light at the end of the tunnel is vivid with necked eyes.
UNITED WE STAND
A.. Temesghen January 21, 2015
The reason why DIA’s Higdef has so far refrained from interfering or touching the Eritrean Catholic Church is simple : the Eritrean Catholic Church has courageously, and with one voice, stood up against the incursion of the despot in its domain. They even responded to him (DIA) with a strong worded letter objecting his efforts to recruit their clergy into the army. It also helps that the Church has the power, prestige and influence of the Vatican behind it.
In contrast, our Orthodox Church has neither a strong institution of international renown to back it up nor the cohesion among its clergy and its followers necessary in such confrontation. In fact, it was able to withstand the onslaught of the Isaias regime as long as it did through the sheer courage and integrity of one man : Patriarch Antonios. Sadly, with the final arrest of the Patriarch his diablos mission of total domination of the Coptic Church is accomplished. We shall overcome.
A.. Temesghen January 21, 2015
correction/addition : please read his diablos mission as Isaias’s diablos mission sadly accomplished.
AHMED SALEH !!! January 21, 2015
Eritrea is sovereign country to lead it’s social
and religious affairs independently outside foreign intervention . Our Christian – Moslem
religions influential representatives had been
victimized and their counter parts on same beliefs ignore their plight , what is the purpose
to stay under same umbrella .
I salute Eritrean Catholic taken step and I hope
others at same position will follow .
Take the lead to take full control to speak on our people behalf against devilish dominance .
tamrat tamrat January 21, 2015
Are you talking about the Vatican or ethiopia?
If you talking about ethiopia then the Catholic church is one of the best in holding the unique relation between the two nations peoples. In good or bad war or peace the eriyreans and ethiopians to every body’s surprise worship their God in theire churh in ethiopia.
And whst vatican has donr now is correct becsuse the people to people relation has bren stoped since the norder is ceald since 1998.
AHMED SALEH !!! January 22, 2015
Taamrat
Come’on , unique relationship for what ?
For decades long bloody confrontation ? Give me a break please . Sometime we need to be true for our
selves to say as it is and look for solution .
Relationship stopped because Eritreans existence
disappeared from Ethiopian society after the war .
And civilians inside Eritrea only used to know Ethiopians through their soldiers with guns .
tamrat tamrat January 23, 2015
I write what I see. From 1991 to 1998 ethiopians and eritreans were dancing togther even holding klashnkov. This unique.
When eritreans in ehiopia went out for Refurendum while ethiopians them selves were holding guns in case some other ethiopians disturb the refurendum. This unique.
The Medhianalem church in addis was full of eritreans and ethiopians both in derg time and still now.
The protestant church in oslo full of eri.etio. this is unique.
The list is long. I have the long list yeasterday before i saw your comment but assenna has deleted.
eri-catholic January 21, 2015
AM LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT VATICAN CHOSE ABUNE MENGISTEAB TO BE IN CHARGE OF THIS NEW SETUP.
THOUGH ABUNE MENGISTEAB HAS DONE A GOOD JOB WHEN IT COMES TO ISSUES BETWEEN ERI-CATHO vs HGDEF, his integrity, dedication and trustworthy is utterly a different story when he is dealing with his subordinates in the catholic dominion in eritrea.(as secretive as it might seem, things do leak, and are really nasty . . .hope it is fixed before it is too late)
hawka abey alo – … awesome step that get applauds from different directions. i do give it a great credit. As courageous and smart as he is, why then does abune mengisteab chose to hussle and suffocate some elements within his own catholic sect in asmara and around . . .
i hope to see a better leadership bar to the expectation and ordinance,
thanks to free press, if need be, things can be brought to light to the very detail.
regards,
concerned eri-catho
Wadbahar January 22, 2015
This is great news we have received with joy that stems from our strong belief that Eritrean Catholics, like their counterparts everywhere in the world, deserve their own and independent church. Nevertheless, this achievement is coming at the time when injustice, brutality, and dirty animalism (that even an animal disdains) against the people of Eritrea have reached sky high and the brutal regime has fatally hit the hearts of all that we hold dear, sparking a resistance movement whose train, which looks to be slow, is surely on its way, daily collecting momentum. Our people have a strong faith that no one could stop the train from arriving at the station. However,this timing of announcing the church independent, compounds the responsibility of the newly-emerged Eritrean Catholic Church whose voice we are accustomed to hear.
We understand that there is a strong campaign going on to neutralize religions and isolate them from the struggle of the Eritrean people, if not able to use them as the oppressing tools of the regime, spreading the poisonous and misleading propaganda that religion should not be involved in the politics of the country. Of course, we believe that religions should not involve in elections and interfere in the choices of their believers telling them to vote for particular candidates or even participate in the name of religion. Short of that, as all religions historically and by obligation stand for righteousness and justice, there is responsibility on them to challenge institutions and governments that oppress, marginalize, and ostracize their people. They cannot stand on the sidelines and watch miserable brutality and oppression go by. We have many examples of great Muslim and Christian theologians who promoted social justice and stood against oppression. Examples of Christian theologians that could be cited include the American Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892-June 1, 1971) and the German Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918). Their roles were not about power but constituted gentility and high social standard that expressed love, righteousness and justice. Though we have plenty of Eritrean examples from all of our religions, as Africans, I would mention the role of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who stood with his people in the struggle against apartheid. My choice here is dictated by my desire to cite his famous quotation for the sake of its relevance. At the time when the battle against apartheid reached its toughest stage and the campaigns against the involvement of the church was at its full swing, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “When people say that the Bible and politics don’t mix, I ask them which Bible they are reading.”
To wind up my comment, I would like to congratulate the Eritrean Catholic Church, thanking the leaders for standing up with their people and speaking the truth; a noble position our people has taken note of, looking forward to hearing their roaring and continuous voice, and seeing actions in favour of the people-powered movement for change. God bless you.
eritrea 4ever January 23, 2015
The metropolitan Bishop’s residence and office is not that you posted on the page. It is the Church of Kidanemhret. Please double check for every thing you posted. The title you put in your article “Eritrean Catholics to get their own Church in break with Ethiopians” it doesn’t make sense by any measurement, this indicates that you have lack of historians and more.
semere 2 January 24, 2015
Eritrea 4ever,
That was also my first comment. But Emma is not changing the photo. The residence of the Metropolitan Bishop in Asmara is Kidane Mehret, not what he posted. There is no more bishop in the old “Cattedrale” of the colonial times.
Please Emma listen to our advise. We are people who know what we are saying.