Shashamene, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, February 6, 2023
Tewahedo Media Center
At least a handful of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo faithful were killed and injured in an attack on a church in southern Ethiopia Saturday.
Voice of America reported three dead on Saturday evening, while the church’s Tewahedo Media Center writes of 35 massacred, attributed to regional security forces who opened fire on the faithful who had gathered to protect their St. Michael Church from invaders.
The decades-long repression of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church increased after Abih Ahmed became Prime Minister in 2018. A Protestant, he initially appeared friendly to the Tewahedo Church, and even helped reunite two branches of the church, but attacks have only increased over the past four years, including the slaughter of clergy and laity and burning of churches, according to borkena.com.
And last month, trouble came from within. Three Ethiopian bishops effectively established their own, ethnic-based, synod and declared that they had consecrated another 26 bishops. The laity who attempted to halt the service were reportedly attacked by security forces, which increased speculation that the radical ethnic forces within the government are intentionally attempting to weaken the church from within.
Tewahedo Media Center
In an emergency session, the Ethiopian Synod excommunicated the three bishops and called on the government to fulfill its responsibility to maintain peace and order. Instead, the state arrested one hierarch, which forced the consecration of a church to be postponed. Of the 26 men “consecrated” by the three rogue bishops, one formally apologized to the Synod, and he was then abducted and detained for over a day.
Angered by the state’s seeming support for the rogue faction, the Ethiopian Synod threatened to stage national demonstrations.
On Saturday, upon learning that the new schismatic bishop was arriving, the faithful of Shashamene rushed to the St. Michael Church to block him from entering. Instead, they were prevented from entering by regional security forces.
When they gathered outside the church, the police shot live bullets to disperse the crowd, killing and injuring several people.
Tewahedo faithful are already hailing the victims as martyrs.
Bishop Abune Henok is cited as saying “It’s shameful that the government cooperates with an invading group that is gathered to demolish the church.”
The church has planned a nationwide peaceful demonstration on February 12 if the government doesn’t meet the Synod’s expectations of practical action to stop the illegal actions of church invaders and the abuse of church faithful and clergy.
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