The Church in Ethiopia boasts a history that traces back to the apostolic age. As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Philip baptized an Ethiopian, marking an early connection to Christianity. Today, while the country maintains a Christian majority, Catholics constitute only a small percentage. However, the Church has a significant role and valuable traditions to share with the universal Church.
Debre Libanos Monastery in Ethiopia
Apostolic Origins and Early Development
The Church in Ethiopia traces its origins to the apostolic age when Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, as mentioned in Chapter 8 of the Act of the Apostles. Officially, Christianity became the state religion in the fourth century. The first bishop, St. Frumentius, was ordained by St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Therefore, the first bishop was a Syrian, and from then on, Ethiopia officially became a Christian country, second only to Armenia in declaring Christianity a state religion.
Christianity has been so deeply integrated into Ethiopian culture that it's inseparable from it. People live their religion, and it is in their blood and history. Monks played a crucial role in the ninth century, building monasteries and translating spiritual writings and Scriptures into the Ethiopian language, allowing people to understand Christianity in their own language from the beginning.
Christianity in Ethiopia Today
Christians still constitute the majority in Ethiopia. The Orthodox Church accounts for approximately 44%, Protestants around 18%, and Catholics about 1%, resulting in 62% of the population being Christian. Ethiopia has remained a Christian country due to "Divine Protection," as they say in Ge’ez. Unlike other ancient Christian countries in North Africa, Ethiopia has maintained its Christian majority thanks to the protection of God and Our Lady.
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Interestingly, Islam sought refuge in Ethiopia at its very beginning due to persecution. Ethiopia was the only country that welcomed the followers of Mohammed. When Prophet Mohammed was persecuted in Mecca and unsure where to send his followers for safety, he chose Ethiopia, saying, "Go to Ethiopia, there is a Christian emperor, he will receive you and stay there until things improve." Because of this reception, it is written in the Hadith: “Don’t touch the Ethiopians. Don’t touch the country of the elephants. They have been good to us." Consequently, there has been a long history of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Ethiopia.
Mateb: A Symbol of Christian Identity
Every Christian in Ethiopia receives a "mateb" upon baptism. The mateb is a cord worn around the neck, signifying that the person is a Christian. It serves as an external sign of Christian identity, indicating adherence to Christian rules, commandments, and Church practices like fasting.
The Significance of the Cross
The cross is a prominent symbol of victory for Christians in Ethiopia, representing Christ's triumph over sin and death. You can find the cross everywhere: on churches, houses, as tattoos, on clothing, writings, and manuscripts. There are over 200 different designs of the Ethiopian cross. Priests hold the cross for people to kiss and greet. The Feast of the Finding of the True Cross is celebrated, commemorating Queen Helena's discovery of the true cross in Jerusalem.
Various designs of the Ethiopian cross
Challenges Facing Ethiopia
Ethiopia faces significant challenges, particularly material poverty. With a population of nearly 80 million, the country experiences recurrent drought, famine, conflict, and civil war. Overcoming poverty is the primary concern for the government, the people, and the Church. Due to poverty, many young people seek work in Arab countries, sometimes changing their Christian names or adopting Muslim attire to facilitate their employment. Poverty is forcing people to give up their Christian heritage, marking a serious issue in Ethiopia.
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The Catholic Church's Role in Social Services
The Catholic Church provides approximately 90% of the social services in Ethiopia, despite being a minority. The Church focuses on addressing needs related to poverty, such as health issues, clean water, and education. They operate health centers, schools, and social centers that care for the homeless, needy, and HIV patients. The Catholic Church doesn't discriminate, offering services to all, regardless of religious background.
The government confides so much of these activities to the Catholic Church because they don't discriminate. The services provided by the Catholic Church are open to all, Christians and Muslims. The important thing is the human person with human needs. The Catholic Church is starting a Catholic university in Addis Ababa, working together with the regional governments so that this university is a national one, upon the request of the people and the government.
This support is both a testament to the faith and a challenge for Catholics to be witnesses of the Church's social teachings, good neighbors, and respectful of others. The universal Church, including organizations like Aid to the Church in Need, contributes significantly to these efforts by supporting various projects in all dioceses.
Contribution to the Universal Church
The African Church can bring its values to the universal Church, particularly the importance of family. There is immense respect for parents, elders, ancestors, and every human being. Africa emphasizes that every human being has value and cannot be measured by material things.
Historical Context and Evolution
Ethiopia's history is intertwined with both Christianity and its unique cultural identity. Tradition suggests that Ethiopia was first evangelized in the 1st century CE by St. Matthew and St. Bartholomew. The kingdom of Aksum adopted Christianity as its state religion in the 4th century CE under King Ezana, influenced by St. Frumentius. Over time, the Ethiopian church developed its distinct characteristics, including its own liturgical language (Ge'ez) and theological interpretations.
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The Ethiopian church followed the Coptic (Egyptian) church in rejecting the Christological decision issued by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 ce that the human and divine natures of Jesus Christ were equally present in one person without commingling. The Ethiopian church included into its name the word tewahedo, a Geʿez word meaning “unity” and expressing the church’s miaphysite belief.
The Ethiopian Orthodox church was declared to be the state church of the country, and it was a bulwark of the regime of Emperor Haile Selassie I. Upon the abolition of the monarchy and the institution of socialism in the country beginning in 1974, the church was disestablished.
Catholic Missionary Activity
Catholic missionaries arrived in Ethiopia in the 14th century. In the 16th century, Islamic attacks threatened the very existence of Christian Ethiopia, and the Emperor appealed to the Portuguese for assistance. The Portuguese in Ethiopia were accompanied by Jesuit missionaries, who began an effort to bring the Ethiopian Orthodox Church into union with the Catholic Church.
Largely through the efforts of Fr. Peter Paez, Emperor Susenyos converted and declared Catholicism the state religion in 1622. The following year Pope Gregory XV appointed another Portuguese Jesuit, Affonso Mendez, as Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church. A formal union was declared when Mendez arrived in the country in 1626. But this union was to last only ten years due to a violent public reaction to latinizations on the Ethiopian liturgy. In 1636 his successor expelled Mendez, dissolved the union, and either expelled or executed the Catholic missionaries. The country was closed to Catholic missionary activity for the next 200 years.
In 1839 limited activity was resumed by the Lazarists and Capuchins, but public hostility was still very strong. It was only with the accession of King Menelik II to the throne in 1889 that Catholic missionaries could again work freely in the country.
Modern Structure of the Catholic Church
In 1961 a metropolitan see was established at Addis Ababa with suffragan dioceses in Asmara (Eritrea) and Adigrat. After Eritrea achieved independence on May 24, 1993, about half the faithful found themselves in that new country. In 1995 Pope John Paul II created two new dioceses in Eritrea at Keren and Barentu, and in 2003 he established the diocese of Emdeber, Ethiopia. On January 19, 2015, Pope Francis created a separate metropolitan church for Eritrea and a new eparchy in Ethiopia at Bahir Dar-Dessie.
Until 2015, the Catholic bishops of Ethiopia and Eritrea composed a single episcopal conference with headquarters in Addis Ababa. In both countries all the jurisdictions are geographical, and include worshipping communities of both the Latin and Ethiopian traditions.
In southern Ethiopia there are five Apostolic Vicariates and two Apostolic Prefectures mostly of the Latin rite with about 500,000 faithful under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
In Ethiopia all the major seminarians attend the Capuchin Franciscan Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Addis Ababa, except those from the diocese of Adigrat, which has its own major seminary.
Last November, on the eve of the feast of St. Michael, Ethiopian Catholic priests and seminarians from the area near the capital of Addis Ababa gathered at the recently established parish of St. Michael to celebrate its first patronal feast day.
More than 50 percent of Ethiopia’s 55 million people profess Ethiopian Orthodoxy, the principal faith since the fourth century. Muslims and adherents to indigenous tribal religions make up the remaining 50 percent. And while relations between the Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch, Abuna Paulos, and some members of the Catholic Church are warm, the Orthodox are quite suspicious of the presence of the Catholic Church.
Archaeological Discoveries
At an archaeological site in Ethiopia, researchers are uncovering the oldest Christian basilica in sub-Saharan Africa. Through radiocarbon dating artifacts uncovered at the church, the researchers concluded that the structure was built in the fourth century A.D., about the same time when Roman Emperor Constantine I legalized Christianty in 313 CE and then converted on his deathbed in 337 CE. The discovery of the church and its contents confirm Ethiopian tradition that Christianity arrived at an early date in an area nearly 3,000 miles from Rome.
According to Ethiopian tradition, Christianity first came to the Aksum Empire in the fourth century A.D. when a Greek-speaking missionary named Frumentius converted King Ezana.
| Religion | Percentage of Population |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian Orthodox Church | 44% |
| Protestants | 18% |
| Catholic Church | 1% |
| Muslims and others | 37% |
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