The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church issued an official apology last week for neglecting the Church and its followers in Tigray during the war which blighted the region until the end of last year.
The official letter of apology on 6 July acknowledged the synod’s failure to plead “to end the war” and to be physically present in Tigray when it was possible to travel there in order to “comfort the entire people of Tigray, bishops and Church leaders”.
It also regretted the synod’s failure to deliver humanitarian aid to Tigray’s people who suffered severe hunger and shortages of essential goods.
The leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have faced repeated accusations of failing to condemn the military operations launched by the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, which are estimated to have caused hundreds of thousands of deaths.
This included the killing of many priests and the destruction of monasteries and churches in Tigray, as well as the looting of religious treasures.
Tigray bishops have condemned their superiors’ silence and earlier this year moved to establish an independent Church beyond the authority of the synod.
The Holy Synod was undermined at the same time when a group of Oromia clergy broke away in protest at the hierarchy’s failure to provide preaching in local languages.
The synod initially condemned the splinter group and resolved the dispute, but it is still seeking reconciliation with the Tigray bishops.
Its official apology to the region came after the Church announced that Patriarch Abune Mathias would travel to the region with a delegation of 13 synod members to deliver aid and conduct discussions with the Tigray bishops. However, the delegation returned to Addis Ababa on Tuesday reportedly without meeting any clergy or even being admitted to a church.
The synod’s letter had failed to address the main point of contention raised – the Tigray bishops’ claim that members of the synod in Addis Ababa actively supported the war.
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