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Posted: 24 Feb 2013 06:25 AM PST
by Teklu Abate
Background In his latest paper entitled “Ethiopia: Where do we go (or not go) from here?”, Professor Alemayehu cogently discussed possible trajectories Ethiopia would and should take in the years to come. He questioned how and to what extent the opposition is doing their jobs compared to what people in the governing party are doing. The implicit message of the paper is that the opposition and all concerned Ethiopians must choose and drive on the highway that leads to genuine democracy. I concur with his passionate call and would like to contribute to the discussion from a different perspective. Mainly because of the obsession and compulsion with the everyday political situation back home, issues related to the future of Ethiopia are least discussed. Analysis after analysis following the occurrence of a problem might not have practical, if not political, relevance. Making analyses or predictions related to socio-economic and political issues is vital to take proactive measures. In this paper, I would like to highlight issues related to Ethiopia’s peace condition in the future based on literature and my own views. First, I succinctly present a study on future peace condition in Ethiopia and internationally. Second, some of the conditions that could aggravate conflict, or conditions that do not sustain peace, are elaborated. Third, other conditions that are thought to have a moderating role are identified. And lastly, implications that the government, the opposition, the media, and the entire peace-loving people should be aware of are highlighted. Will Ethiopia be more or less peaceful? Implicitly or explicitly, reports from international organizations seem to hold the conclusion that Ethiopia has a high risk of being in conflicts in the future. For this paper, a study conducted by the University of Oslo in cooperation with the Oslo Peace Research Institute is considered for its recency and its theoretical and methodological rigor in the collection and analysis of data at the global level. To have a complete understanding and judgment of the findings, it is useful to first say some about the study itself.The Oslo studyThis study is conducted by Professor Håvard Hegre of the Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo in cooperation with the Peace Institute. The paper is being published in a scientific journal but the summary of the study appears in Apollo, University of Oslo’s research magazine. The goal of the study is to simulate extent of peace and conflict internationally until 2050. The model used for simulation is developed based on the last 40 years’ history of conflicts in all countries and their neighbors, oil resources, ethnicity, infant mortality, education, and youth population. The focus of the study is internal armed conflict between governments and organized groups such as political parties and/or ethnic groups. According to the study, “A conflict is defined as a conflict between governments and political organizations that use violence and in which at least 25 people die”. Before drawing conclusions and for statistical reasons, the programme/software is run 18,000 times. The sensational conflict simulations indicated that the world will be a more peaceful place to live in the future. Except for sub-Saharan Africa, all continents are expected to have a decline in the risk of conflict. Surprisingly, the decrease in conflict is found to be greatest in the Middle East. The study does not explain why conflict is decreasing in those and other countries but it is indicated that education and economic development are the key factors. The researchers indicated that in most parts of the world, it is too expensive to kill in the decades to come. Unfortunately, there are several spots in the world where it is and will be too cheap to kill. Ethiopia has the greatest risk of conflict in the next four decades. According to the study, “In 5 years the risk of conflict will be greatest in India, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Uganda and Burma. In 40 years the risk will be greatest in India, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Those countries in which the risk of conflict will sink most in the next 40 years are Algeria, Colombia, Turkey and Thailand” (Apollon, 2012). These countries are simulated to have high risks of conflicts for nearly four decades. At the global level, the findings of the study seem to promise a safer future. For Sub-Saharan Africa, the study provided a disturbing signal. Still, one could raise the question: to what extent the findings are valid to the region and to Ethiopia particularly? I argue that there are several conflict aggravating and moderating conditions as far as Ethiopia is concerned. In general, I could say we happen to have much more powerful aggravating conditions than moderating ones. That means, if appropriate measures are not taken in good time and to the right degree, we could witness conflict after conflict in the years to come. It could continue to be too cheap to kill in Ethiopia. Conflict aggravating conditionsIt is painful to simulate conflict for any country, let alone ones own. But reality must be faced and dealt with in good time. I could argue that the Oslo study summarized above is a bit relaxed in its consideration of factors but finally gets it right in the conclusions. The conclusion that Ethiopia will have the greatest risk of conflict seems warranted for a number of reasons. One, what is missing from the Oslo study is the consideration of the existing political conditions within countries. The study does not consider the governance style of the studied countries. One reason may be that the researchers assume that current government commitment to democratic principles does not have predictive power because governments are supposed to function for one or maximum of two terms. This does not apply to Africa and Ethiopia, where governments are as ‘eternal’ as kings and queens. Our governments assume that their contract is permanent. If the Oslo study were to consider this reality, Ethiopia would perhaps be one of the three or so countries that has the highest risk of conflict. That is why I argued above that the Oslo study is relaxed methodologically. The point is that the governing party is not in a position to serve the public as promised. The government breaks the constitution in day light. The justice system could not get the confidence of the public. The military, the police, and the security apparatus do not have friendly relationships with the majority. Merit-based employment and investment is becoming a dream. The media are systematically made paralyzed. Professional associations are incapacitated or, are replaced by quasi ones that are sympathetic with the government. Websites and broadcasts are blocked. These and other factors associated with government mismanagement are recipes for future conflict. Two, partly because of the extremely ugly and hostile political climate back home, several groups are creating unions and fronts and are already in the battlefields. Armed groups operate in the North, South, East, and West part of the country. New forces are joining the momentum. In fact, this is the strongest empirical evidence that warrants the conclusion that future conflict is indeed a reality in Ethiopia. Three, education and economic development are two key factors that influence sustaining conflict and/or peace. If quality education is offered to at least a sizeable portion of the youth, and if economic development is equitable and sustainable, peace would reign and conflict would be avoided. On the other hand, if education is limited or if it is provided in poor quality, and if only a certain portion of the population is enjoying the fruits of economic growth, conflict would be the order of the day. In Ethiopia, yes, education is massively expanded both at basic and higher levels but its quality is extremely worrisome. International education organizations and experts as well as the government are aware of this fact. That means, poor quality education is technically equal to absence of education when it comes to its contribution to development and peace. Moreover, the Ethiopian economy is reportedly growing in double-digits. But that level of growth could not be grounded. Either statistics are engineered or only extremely limited number of people are reaping all the benefits. Millions are still in food aid. The cost of living is sky rocketing. In general, Ethiopia seems to have less powerful education and economic bases to ensure peace for the years to come. Four, we, as any country else, tend to have a conflict-driven past. Conflicts characterize, for instance, the period of Zemene Mesafint, the Haile Selasse period, the Dergue times, and the EPRDF tenurship. Although there are a number of countries who used to have devastating conflicts but who are now peaceful and prosperous, there are several other countries that tend to sustain their bad habits- conflict. That means, there is some chance of considering wars and conflicts as alternative means of solving problems. This makes even more sense if one considers the nature of the governing party, EPRDF. Five, there are strong indications that the military is not in good shape as well. We have heard the clashes within the military that left dozens dead and wounded. That again attests to the presence of a really big structural problem with the system. Whatever group comes the invincible in the end, the defeated would consider retreating to Asimba or Dedebit again. The military is a microcosm of the power balance at the top leadership. Six, the EPRDF top leadership seems in disarray as well. Following the death of the late Meles Zenawi, the entire system started to shake up. Still, ‘tremors’ are being felt from a distant. In times of crisis, Meles has had that tactical capability of maneuvering and taking conditions to his and then his party advantage. That agility and decisiveness in decision making is nowhere to be found in today’s top leadership. We happen to hear inconsistencies in government communications and it is pretty unclear who really makes decisions at the top. The internal fight seems to continue until one group wins the will of the top military officials, as AK47’s proved to be the panacea. The power skirmishes indicate the probability of conflict in the near future. Whoever will win, conflict is likely to take place for at least sometime. It is however useful to consider into the analysis the conditions that might have a moderating role. Moderating factorsThere are some conditions that seem to ensure relative peace in the near future. Or at least, they could limit the scale of conflicts. The problem is that these conditions, compared to the aforementioned conflict-aggravating conditions, seem to have a much less power to influence the overall equation- peace. They are yet worth mentioning. The God factorEthiopia is a deeply religious country. Christians and Muslims daily live their respective religions. There is a general tendency to leave complex issues such as peace and conflict to God. Several as a result do not take part in politics and consider themselves neutral. That is partly why we do not see a single demonstration despite 1) we have had over 30 inflation rate, 2) we see with our naked eyes the level of corruption and nepotism, 3) miscarriage of justice, 4) our college graduates are employed as stone cutters, 5) the police and the security offices are terrorizing the public, and more. The average believer seems to wait for God to intervene. This seems to demonstrate a false sense of peace and security at the moment. The fear factorAgain for many Ethiopians, conflicts are too expensive to be waged. We have that fresh memory of the massacre of hundreds of thousands of youngsters in the name of Red Terror. We vividly saw the cost of war that was fought between the Dergue and the now EPRDF. We have a fresh memory of the recent Ethio-Eritrean senseless war that claimed over 70, 000 innocent lives. We have that memory of the massacre of nearly 200 people in relation to post-election demonstrations. Generally, we have a nasty pool of experience in wars and conflicts. All these might discourage some or many or most of us from designing and orchestrating conflicts of any sort in the future. Simply, we are afraid of deaths, wounds, jails, and persecutions. The diplomatic factorInternational organizations such as the UN and the EU and powerful countries such as the US could play a somehow mediating role in case of accumulation of signs of eminent conflict. Although these organizations and countries do not usually stop conflicts from happening, they try hard to avoid them. Countries and/or groups that demonstratively believe in and enact democracy might discourage undemocratic governances from clinging to power through sustaining conflicts. Also, some indication is present that economic aids and loans might be linked to democratic governance. Concluding remarksBased on the Oslo study, conditions that aggravate conflict and that sustain relative peace are highlighted in this paper. The analysis seems to indicate that conflict would be on the horizon in the near future in Ethiopia if appropriate measures are not taken. The most important single factor that could ensure sustained peace is democratic governance: governance which ensures the rule of law, transparency and accountability. In order to avoid possible conflicts, the government in Ethiopia must practice the constitution. The media must be allowed to flourish again. The opposition must be allowed to convene, publish, open offices, and call demonstrations. The public must be allowed to freely assemble, associate, and get employed based on merit. Discrimination and harassment of any sort at work and elsewhere must be stopped. All the ethnic groups must be brought back to the unifying force: being Ethiopian. The opposition and the media (at home and abroad) must also make peaceful co-existence their top agenda. They could develop and sustain educative programmes tailored to accommodate differences. Political parties need to organize themselves around nationalism and not around ethnic lines. The media should initiate and maintain dialogues on unity and peace issues. They should stop publishing papers that preach, implicitly or explicitly, hate, ethnocentrism, and division. Criticisms must differentiate people from ideas and people from their ethnic identity . Contributions from social scientists are seminal for understanding and solving people’s grievances. Media should take initiatives to bring together sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, political scientists, lawyers and others for a nuanced discussion of pertinent social issues. The discussions should aim at creating a common platform or shared basis of understanding and action for a better future. In sum, peace is maintained if and only if all the stakeholders take supreme responsibility for their decisions and actions. If the public, social scientists, the elderly, the media, the opposition, and the government do their part of the job, there is no reason why Ethiopia will be prone to decades of conflicts. The government is but the most indispensable entity that could reconfigure the overall set up because it is the government’s mismanagement that is pushing people to the bushes. If they open the nearly closed political space and if they enact the constitution and ensure accountability, conflict would be just history. I strongly wish that, henceforth, it should be too expensive to kill in Ethiopia! |
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Posted: 24 Feb 2013 05:25 AM PST
The Horn Times opinion 23 February 2013
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Posted: 23 Feb 2013 02:15 PM PST
 ln the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen" Statement of Declaration from the Legal Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Exile on the Upholding of the Church's Cannon Law and the Return of His Holiness Patriarch Abune Merkorios to the Throne from which He was lllegallv Ousted "Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:71) At its 34th biannual conference held in November of 2012 in Columbus, Ohio, the Legal Holy Synod-in-Exile passed a resolution affirming that a special session---a follow-up to the latest peace ond reconciliation efforts within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church -- would be held in Los Angeles. Accordingly, the Synod held the meeting on January 7-9, 2013. Following is the Synod's statement of declaratian based on deliberations made at that meeting. Introduction The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has remained true to its dogma and practices for centuries. The Church has passed on its legacy from generations to generations, starting first with the evangelism of Eunuch, the treasurer of Queen Candace of Ethiopia, who went to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel, and later through the missionary work of Abba (Bishop) Fremenatos. Venerated highly by religious scholars and experts throughout the world and regarded as the sources of pride and hope by the Ethiopian Orthodox faithful, the Church has sustained its historic existence for the past two thousand years under the blessings and care of God. However, we are not oblivious to the fact that this highly revered Church has also gone through the rough tumults of history over the years. During the last 20 years, in particular, the Church experienced the worst of this turbulence, when it was seriously challenged with a fundamental breach of canonical law that subsequently led to a division within the Church and a deep sense of grief among adherents of the faith. The division came from none other than the illegal dethroning of the reigning Patriarch by the regime and replacing him with another. Subsequently, the division further subjected the Church to undue pressure from external forces, while giving way to the looting of its treasures and artifacts, and the improper practices of the faith and of Orthodox dogma. Mindful of this regrettable blemish on the Church, as well as driven by a genuine concern to save it from continuing turbulence, a few true sons of the Church founded the Council of Peace and Unity of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Council resolved to bring the Church back to its normalcy by embarking on a mission that would beget peace and reconciliation between the Holy Synod in Ethiopia and the Legal Holy Synod led by His Holiness Abune Merkorios in North America. Nevertheless, a small group of Archbishops within the Addis Ababa Synod, squashing the voices of the majority membership of that Synod, thwarted the peace and unity mission by announcing a statement that in effect wrecked the chances of bringing about the desired unity of the Church. ln its content, not only was the announcement one unexpected of Orthodox Fathers, but also lacked truth, clarity, and integrity of intent; given these facts, therefore, the Exiled Synod has no choice but to issue this statement of declaration to the adherents of the faith in the interest of disclosing the true circumstances that led to the division of our Church and the ramifications thereof. A. Concerning the Exile of the Patriarch The statement issued by a small group of archbishops, after silencing the voices of the majority membership of the Addis Ababa Synod under the pressure of the regime's mighty force, made a bogus claim describing His Holiness Patriarch Markorios's alleged voluntary abdication of his throne in these terms: "The heavy load of my work has affected my health condition for quite some time and thus I submit that the Holy Synod take over the helm of authority and lead the church." This false claim, in effect, was a ploy to create confusion among the faithful about the true nature of the Patriarch's removal from the throne. As such, the Orthodox community should be aware of these cardinal facts: ln fact, the above referenced Article was put into full effect in the case of our first patriarch, His Holiness Abune Basliose, who was under ailment for about seven years and unable to discharge the duties of the Patriarchate fully. At the time, the great leaders of our Church, strictly adhering to the canon law, elected an Acting Patriarch to lead the Church while the reigning Patriarch was still ill. Eventually, following his death, the Synod elected His Holiness Abune Tewofilos as the second Patriarch of the EOTC in accord with the tradition and practices of the Church. Furthermore, it should be clearly evident to everyone concerned that neither a letter nor a recorded voice exists that conforms tc the purported statement of the exiled Patriarch with regard to his alleged illness, and the voluntary abdication of his throne thereof. Therefore, in the absence of any credible evidence, other than the unsubstantiated allegation, it should be obvious that the Patriarch was indeed forced out of his position under the orders of the regime's security forces. It is also ironic that the esteemed Fathers in Addis Ababa also claim that "The Holy Synod is a righteous body guided by the Holy Spirit, and, therefore, Patriarch Abune Merkorios's voluntary abdication of his position should be seen as a way of divine intervention, or a secret means to an end of his reign." Although the true believers of the Church are already privy to the fact of this matter, we still want to expound further on this issue by listing these authenticated details: ln a letter dated Meskerem 28, 1984 E.C. (Oct, 1992) and numbered 69/298184, the regime illegally issued an order to the Patriarch to vacate his office at the Patriarchate; Subsequent to that order, His Holiness was forced out of his official residence by security forces on Meskerem 30, 1984 E.C. (Oct, 1992) and practically remained under house arrest in an undisclosed area of Addis Ababa for one year; Still, in a letter dated Tir 15, 1984 E.C. (January 24, 1992), the Patriarch informed the then-President of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, Melese Zenawi, PM Tamerat Layne, all members of the Holy Synod, and the Executive Director of the EOTC Patriarchate, affirming that there was no illness nor any other impediments that would prevent him from discharging fully and ably his Holy duties, adding that the esteemed Fathers of the Holy Synod knew perfectly about his ability to do so; Despite His Holiness's plea against his forced removal, the regime-orchestrated appointment of Abune Paulos as the fifth Patriarch was executed in violation of the canon law of the Church. ln the aftermath, the group that forcefully took over the Church's chain of command placed the legal Patriarch in a life-threatening predicament, forcing him to stay in the underground basement of a burial site at an Entoto church, not too far from the capital city. Gravely concerned about the personal safety and security of the Patriarch, some faithful put together a plan that would escort him clandestinely on Tekimit 1, 1985 E.C. (October 12,1993) to neighboring Kenya through Moyale, a border town between Ethiopia and that country; ln Tikimt 1985 E.C. (October 1993), His Holiness announced to all followers of the Orthodox faith around the world via radio and through a press release from his exile in Kenya that he is still the legal Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church; and The events that we have outlined above were finally validated in recent times, thanks to both the current President of Ethiopia, His Excellency Girma Wolde Giorgis, and former Prime Minister Tamerat Leyane, who publicly corroborated the forced removal of the Patriarch in no uncertain terms. Even more importantly, we do have in our possession original documents that further offer evidence substantiating the facts enumerated above. ln fact, we are ready any time to show these authentic, historic documents to anyone seeking them. Despite these undeniable facts, however, the Holy Synod in Addis Ababa continues to deny the truth and still insists on alleging that His Holiness "voluntarily abdicated his throne," a claim that was made in the most recent statement issued from Addis Ababa. Meanwhile, we wish to reiterate that the faithful should not by any means be fooled by an assertion that is devoid of truth, as well as an outright falsification of facts and events. B. Concerning the Continuance of the Legal Holy Synod in Exile ln the same statement of declaration, the minority within the Addis Ababa Synod has accused us of "establishing a Synod in exile coiitrary to any historical precedence known to Orthodox religion," Yet we found this to be disingenuous in the sense that it was not intended to address the issues associated with the forced removal of the Patriarch. The esteemed Fathers even went as far as declaring that "Without the permission of the Holy Synod, even the celebration of Fasika (Fthiopian Easter) outside of the Archdiocese of the Church is prohibited based on the canonical law of the Church." To confuse the faithful, they further cited the most venerated religious figures of Orthodox Christianity, such as Pope.Saint Athanasius, 5t. Yohanes Afework and Pope Saint Dioscorus, to validate their point, contending that these past saintly Fathers did not establish a Synod in exile, even though they were banished from their church in which they held the highest position of a Pope or a Patriarch. However , the reference to such Sreat Orthodox saints disguises the truth, since it can only be relevant to a church in which its stability and sanctity, as well as its basic principles of faith, have not been compromised; as such, the cases of the saintly Fathers thus cannot be reasonably used to describe the crisis in our Church, which has fallen under the control of a seemingly "foreign" force that is not only hostile to the Orthodox faith but also has consciously breached the canon law of the Church. Let us now look at the cases of the three great Orthodox Fathers as they relate to the establishment of a synod in exile: His Holiness Abune Merkorios, by contrast, was forced into exile along with his fellow Archbishops, including His Eminence Abune Yisehaq, Archbishop of the Western Hemisphere; Abune Elias, Archbishop of Europe, Africa and Australia; Abune Zena Markos, Deputy Patriarch; Abune Gorgorios, Archbishop and Special Secretary to the Patriarch; and Abune Mekesedek, who at the time was Dean of the Theological College of the Holy Trinity and current General Secretary of the Holy Synod in exile. The exiled Fathers together established the Synod in exile, and have since expanded their missionary work, and will continue to do so as the legal Ethiopian Orthodox ecclesiastical body in North America. Given these facts, the futile attempt by the Synod in Ethiopia to liken our situation to the cases of the cited saintly Orthodox Fathers is masked in distortion of facts. Moreover, their pronouncement lacks the integrity that the Almighty God has bestowed on them as disciples of his teachings, while at the same time exposing the faithful to utter confusion and falsehood. Another historical fact begs further explanation to counter the argument that the Addis Ababa Synod has made. When Saintly Father Athanasisus, Patriarch of Alexandria, was exiled five times, at no time did his followers attempt to fill the leadership void created by replocing him with onother person. In fact, when the rulers of Constantinople tried to force upon them someone on their "religious Father," they vehemently rebuffed that order, thereby remaining true to their belief rather than acquiescing to the regime's demands. During the fourth century, our religious forefathers in Axum took a similar action by reecting the accusations made against Saint Athanusius by Constantinople. Likewise, when Saint Yohanes Afework was falsely accused and forced into exile, his follawers cried out for his return and never accepted his replacement with an open arm. Upon his death, even his accusers felt so remorseful about what they did to him that they cried and pleaded in these words, "Forgive us our Father," but never mocked at him as their ex-Patriarch. Similarly, Saint Dioscorus, who accepted his exile with grace and saw his suffering os a source of religious atonement, sent his followers a message of exaltation reminding them that "the fruits of the true religian are vested in you," a message that resonated with them for as lang as he was alive; it was a reminder that they believed in him until eternity, as they never wavered from what he taught them, and still recognized him as their leader even when the rulers of Constantinople named a replacement for him without their consent. As their loyalty to Saint Dioscorus was unflinching, it was passed from generations to generations in the annals of Orthodox history. Yet those who followed the orders of Constantinople accepted the replacement af Pope Dioscorus and took a different route that made the religious division bona fide. ln keeping with the traditions established by our great Orthodox Fathers - Saint Athanasius, Saint Yohanes Afework, and Saint Dioscorus - His Holiness Abune Merkorios has continued in exile his godly work more resolutely than ever. The Almighty God has blessed him to be of great service to the followers of the faith, as he leads a group of devout Archbishops,12 of whom he appointed personally, who perform faithfully God's work throughout the Diaspora Orthodox community, The Legal Synod he leads has helped establish a growing number of churches that are now under the umbrella of the Patriarchate, while at the same time making it possible for the faithful to have their spiritual needs served well. The affiliated churches are growing in number ; the missionary work of the Synod is more expanding than ever; the faithful are attending church services in greater numbers more than any other time; and a strong base for communities of Ethiopian Orthodox faith throughout the Diaspora is being established with great fervor. Above all, our community is more prepared than before to build a strong Orthodox foundation; to leave a legacy that gives vibrancy to Ethiopia's Orthodox faith; to revitalize its unique history; and to pass these vital societal hallmarks to the generations to follow. C. Concerning the Peace and Unity Mission The Council of Peace and Unity of the Ethiopion Orthodox Tewahedo Church embarked on a mission of peace and unity, mediating between the Holy Synod in Ethiopia and our Synod so as to unite the divided church though reconciliation. With the blessings of His Holiness Abune Merkorios and the Synod's full endorsement of this effort, a team of representatives was named to present our case. Three conferences took place over the last three years involving our team and representatives from the Addis Ababa Synod. Throughout the course of time, the peace and unity mission was greeted overwhelmingly by almost all Orthodox Tewahedo believers both at home and abroad and was awaited with a great sense of hope and optimism. ln Ethiopia, the majority of the Synod's membership, the clergy, Sunday School pupils and many others concerned individuals and organizations all saw the reconciliation efforts with great fanfare and exaltation. However, the statement issued by the Holy Synod in Addis Ababa, following the talks in Dallas, was such that it not only undermined the process of the reconciliation mission but also presented facts that were deceiving and distorted. ln essence, that statement characterized our position in terms that were outright false. ln it, the Addis Ababa Synod misrepresented the Legal Synod's position describing it in these terms: "There is no such thing as peace and unity within the Church unless we control the Patriarchate," an outright lie that had no credible support, Given this backdrop then, what actually took place during the peace talks? What was the agenda considered for the negotiation? To answer these and other related questions, the following points must be clearly understood: Since the Addis Ababa Synod has come under the direct control of the regime in power, the peace and unity mediation was doomed from the start, as was evident in the provocative statement released by the Synod that was detrimental to the negotiation even before the team had a chance to report to the entire Synod on the progress of the talks. On one hand, a team was sent to Dallas purportedly to negotiate with us, but at the same time the Acting Patriarch in Addis Ababa was making a statement in an interview over the media that was counterproductive to the negotiation, which in effect gave a clue about the malicious hand of the regime in the affairs of the Church, and therefore was really an effort in futility even to begin with; and The team representing the Legal Synod in North America, by contrast, was charged with a full authority to negotiate with its counterpart and thus made every effort toward the settlement of the outstanding issues that created the divide within our Church. During the negotiation, we adopted a good measure of flexibility in our bargaining posture, proposing what we thought was a workable solution that would both address the breach of the canon law and yet offer due recognition to the reigns of both the legal Patriarch and the one that was placed on the throne in violation of Orthodox practices. To this end, our team proposed the reinstatement of the legal Patriarch to his former position, so that he will finish up his reign without any lasting damage to the canon law, and then to be followed with the selection of the six Patriarch when the vacancy becomes legally available . However, the latest announcement issued by the Synod in Addis Ababa made it clear that tirey never had the true intentions of finding solutions to the problem. ln fact, they appeared to play "the number game," arguing that reinstating the legal Patriarch now, the fourth in the order of appointment, after the fifth Patriarch (the late Abuse Paulo's) is going "backwards in the numbering order" and thus unworkable, which we found it to be a disingenuous way of looking at the issue at hand aswellas a clear indication of notwantingtofind a realsolution to a realproblem. After probing the retrogressing behavior of the Synod in Addis Ababa subsequent to the Dallas meeting, it became apparent to us that five of that Synod's Archbishops have taken full charge of making the decision, thereby overshadowing the voices of the entire Synod; they are active members of the ruling party and thus charged with stymieing the peace and unity mission. We also discovered that each had an ambition to become a Patriarch, and therefore it would not have been in their personal interest to support the peace and unity effort even from the start. Any possible return of the Patriarch to his throne would have apparently gone contrary to their plot, as well as to the wishes of the regime to which they report. From the facts stated in the foregoing, it becomes crystal clear that a small but powerful clique of the Woyane regime, which orchestrated illegally the removal of His Holiness Abune Merkorios from his throne 21. years ago, is still in charge and continues to disgrace our Church. ln fact, this ruling clique is more determined than ever to subject our Church to relentless infamy; destroy the sanctity of the Church itself as we know it; and weaken the spiritual resiliency of the devout believers of the Orthodox Tewahedo faith. Taking into account the events described above, the Legal Holy Synod in North America examined thoroughly the state of the EOTC in both Ethiopia and the Didspora and has passed the following resolutions: For more than 21 years, our Church has undergone a crisis of historic proportions, as a government-led coup d'etat against the legal Patriarch was put into effect, leading to the illegitimate ascension of the late Abune Paulos to the throne and the division of the church thereafter. That regrettable action was being repeated again, as five members of the Holy Synod in Addis Ababa, using the power of the regime, were mobilizing forces to install a "Patriarch" of the regime's choice. Thus, based on the orders enshrined in the decrees of the Holy Book, the Synod directs that the true believers of the Orthodox faith, forever and in unison, oppose to, not recognize, or refuse to comply with the appointment of a "false Patriarch" in Ethiopia. The Synod further implores that the true Fathers of the Church in Ethiopia, especially those who stood their grounds for the peace and unity of the Church, refrain from participating in these questionable and ungodly exercises, which are indefensible in the court of both history and the Almighty God; The Legal Holy Synod is deeply saddened by the fact that all those who stand for the peace and unity of our Church, including our religious Fathers, the clergy, organized Orthodox groups, and the faithful at large in Ethiopia, are being subjected to threats, intimidation or warnings, often coming from government operatives that oppose the return of the legal Patriarch to Ethiopia. These criminal practices against the Orthodox community are part and parcel of the sufferings that all other citizens in Ethiopia are being subjected to under the current regime in Addis Ababa . We are cognizant that our country is at a crossroads of political and social crises and that we pray to the Lord, so the suffering of our people will come to an end. Meanwhile, we are hopeful that Ethiopia will resurrect itself, and our Church will soon regain its freedom from the shackles of bondage. Meanwhile, the Synod wishes to counsel that the faithful engage at all times in activities that not only advance unity and peace for our Church but also foster a sense of fellowship and harmony between and among both the clergy and the laity. We hope you do so with greater care, wisdom, and stronger religious convictions ; The Synod was dismayed to learn that the political gang that had been waging a war of attrition on our Church for more than two decades has made recently the most ungodly claim of having "uprooted the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhaedo Church from its foundation while annihilating the Amhara benefactors." Besides allowing alien religious forces to undermine our faith, distorting EOTC's positive contributions to Ethiopia's history, encouraging Orthodox believers to turn against their own faith, this seemingly godless clique is running a government bent on destroying our heritage as proud Ethiopians. The statement quoted above offers clear evidence that Ethiopia and particularly our historic Church is under grave danger and that the regime has neither good intensions nor goodwill for people of the Orthodox faith, as would have been expected under a government of national unity. With this being the case, the Synod urges all the faithful to join forces to engage in prayers and vigils so as to publicize this danger while pleading to our Creator to give us solace and strength to save our Church from further destruction; We believe that the Holy Synod is the messenger of hope and goodwill, and stands for what is right and what is always acceptable unto God. As an ecclesiastical body advancing the work of God, the Holy Synod abominates any practice that begets racism, ethnicism, or any other discriminatory treatment of human beings. ln Ethiopia today, the pitfalls of ethnic-based rule are causing havoc on our society. Even the most celebrated monastery, Waldiba, has not been immune from the misfortune befalling Ethiopia today, Dozens of monks and celibates are being persecuted for resisting the government's desecration of the holiest of the holy site in that country. "The shrine and sanctity of our grand monastery must not be trampled with," cry out the monks of Waldiba, but the response from the regime was a swift and merciless action of intimidation, physical abuse and imprisonment of those God-fearing Orthodox celibates. This meant that the monks in Waldeba have joined the ranks of journalists , human rights advocates, and political prisoners who are all languishing in prison for voicing their ideas, and, in the case of the monks, for objecting peacefully to the demolition of their sacred and holy sanctuary; consequently, they all have become victims of government abuse and official oppression. Given that the regime has caused untold atrocities on every segment of our population, the Synod has resolved to take a stand and become an advocate for those whose freedom and liberties are being crushed in Ethiopia. Ironically, this has come at a time when the federal holiday commerating the birthday of the most celebrated African American civil rights leader, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, was before us . The issue of civil rights and liberties in Ethiopia is one that we intend to publicize to the rest of the world using every available means at our disposal, as Dr. King had done decades ago. ln keeping with the tradition of our own great Orthodox Fathers of the past, who sacrificed their lives for their religious beliefs, including the martyred Abune Pateros, Abune Michael, and the great Patriarch Abune Tewoflos, we in the Exiled Synod, guided by His holiness Patriarch Abune Merkorios, have resolved that we will stand for the freedom of our people in Ethiopia and work toward peace and unity of our Church, relying on the power of God and His blessings. There should not be any doubt that the survival our country is directly tied to the survival of our Church, and thus any weakening in our faith will undoubtedly have a direct bearing on the survival our beloved country, as well. Therefore, we call on all Ethiopians, especially those with strong ties to their country of birth, to rise up in unison and join us in solidarity and unity to voice our cries for freedom and liberty in the country that we all cherish so dearly and collectively; To effectively carry out the objectives outlined above, the Holy Synod-in-Exile has restructured the Patriarchate and made some readjustment to its priorities. Accordingly, our plan to expand the number of Archdioceses and consecrate additional Bishops, which was on hold due to the now defunct peace and unity bid, will now go forward with new force and vigor. To this end, the Synod has strengthened the Office of the Patriarchate by appointing a three-member executive body charged with coordinating and monitoring the day-to-day operations of member churches throughout the globe; it consists of a General Manger, an Executive Secretary, as well as a Public Relations Officer. Yet this new direction will require the full participation of the faithful particularly in the Diaspora. Your ideas, prayers, and generous financial support are all critical to make a difference in executing the plan that has been put forward, and so the Synod is hoping that your will respond positively to our call for action During the last several years, the Exiled Synod has made a sincere effort to bring together the divided Church and the faithful in the Diaspora with some success, but still much remained to be accomplished, During the same period, many of the faithful and several churches had hoped that the divide within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhaedo Church would come to an end through reconciliation and thus chose to remain neutral until that happened. However, that hope was dashed when the Synod in Addis Ababa aborted the peace and unity mediation efforts. Given this backdrop, the Holy Synod has now resolved that it has the moral obligation to bring all the Orthodox faithful and neutral churches under a reinvigorated Holy Synod that caters to the spiritual needs of the Orthodox community at large. By so doing, the Synod's guiding principles will be "one country, one people and one church." With this in mind, we pray that the faithful and those churches that are not affiliated with the Synod will join us to make this a reality. To those who are true helievers of the Orthodox faith, are genuinely concerned with crisis facing our Church, and have great ideasto rescue the Church from its current predicamen! we call upon you once again to stand up for freedom and liberty of the Orthodox faithful as well as the sanctity of our Church. Since the Synod has established a special taskforce to find ways that will bring all the divided churches in the Diaspora into unity, the group assigned for this purpose is ready to meet and discuss with representatives of neutral churches and others to build the groundwork that will be necessary to nurture unity, solidarity, and fellowship amongst our people; The Synod believes that it has the responsibility of educating and informing international organizations, religious communities, human rights organizations, and governments around the work about the brutalities to which our clergy and our people at home are subjected. With this in mind, we have established a taskforce, consisting of members from among the Archbishops, the clergy, and the laity, the charge of which will be to give testimonials at international forums, as well disseminate information as necessary to publicize the danger that our Church is facing; The recently announced statemont by the Holy Synod in Addis Ababa came from a small group of Archbishops who are in cahoots with the regime, and was made by suppressing the voices of reason expressed by others within the Synod. The statement sent shockwaves throughout the Diaspora Orthodox community that was awaiting for good news, with unprecedented fervor, to see the divide within the EOTC coming to an end. Flowever, the crisis facing the Church will only come to pass once we receive some redemption from our Lord . Our Church, throughout its history, has gone through many tribulations and historical adversities, one of which was the destruction inflicted on it and its treasures by Gran Mohamed. Many Orthodox scholars and believers have lost their lives in defense of our Church duringthis period of sheer destruction that lasted L5 years . After the passage of that tumultuous period, the Church is still a symbol of "light in the midst of darkness." Even with the current crisis, the Synod asks you---the faithful --not to lose hope but to pray and plead too our Almighty God for salvation. Having accepted the commandment of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Synod has taken up the moral obligation to propagate the words of the Gospel through a rejuvenated missionary program and reach out to the Orthodox faithful throughout the diaspora. As commended in the verses of the Holy Bible "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God" (lsaiah 4Ai7," the Holy Synod is ready with new energy and zeal to comfort those that need to be comforted; those designated to do the missionary work of the Synod will be at your service from hereon; Despite a three-year effort to bring peace and unity to our Church, which was finally thwarted by a small cadre of Archbishops who act as regime operatives within the Addis Ababa Synod, the Synod-in-Exile extends a heartfelt appreciation to the Council of Peace and Unity of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for being so benevolent in their mediation and sacrificing their precious time, energy and resources for a noble cause that has both national and international implications; At the same time, the Synod has resolved that the selection of the 6th Patriarch that was underway should be halted immediately because the silent majority within the Addis Ababa Synod was not in favor of it, nor the mediators and the faithful at large. We think that the peace and unity effort should take precedence over the selection of a Patriarch, who would be just as illegitimate as the one before him. Therefore, we are still acquiescent to the peace and unity mission, so that the divide within our Church can be overcome once and for all, and we are ready to do our part to bring a historic end to that divide; and The Los Angeles meeting concluded with the final blessings of His Holiness Abune Merkorios, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Hosted by the clergy, the board, and members of the Dingil Mariam Orthodox Tewaheda Church in Los Angeles, the meeting was received with great enthusiasm and patronage. For this, the Synod gives special thanks to all the members of that Church; we are deeply indebted to the hospitality and graciousness that they exhibited during the course of the meeting |
mandag 25. februar 2013
Ethiopia horrendous atrocities in Ethiopian prisons.wmv
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