borkena
August 14, 2019
For many years now, Ethiopian church has been a target of radicalized ethno-nationalists.
Just to mention few recent cases, in July 2018 radicalized ethnic Somali youth group, they are known as Hego, targeted Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jijigga and other towns in the region. At least five churches were burnt down, priests and deacons were attacked. At least one priest was burnt to death alive.
In July 2019, radicalized ethnic Sidama nationalists youth ( Ejeto as they are called locally) similarly launched attack on the Ethiopian churches. One priest was brutally killed and at least three churches were torched with fire.
Leaders of Ethiopian Orthodox Church have been very silent or not actively voicing their protest so far. In fact, there were individual voices but many leaders in the church were not speaking out as one, and the Holy Synod itself was not very vocal on the matter probably hoping that it would go away as government asserts its power.
That seem to be changing now as church leaders are actively expressing concern about increasing attack against the church. And they are making government responsible for various attacks against the Ethiopian Church.
A year after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration managed to end the schism within the Ethiopian church as home based and diaspora Synod, radicalized Oromo Ethono-nationalists have disclosed their intents to break apart the holy synod once again by moving to form an ethnic Oromo Synod of their own. That in itself has caused a serious concern among Ethiopians not just followers of the Ethiopian church but also among Ethiopians who are not followers of the church.
Political observers seem to think that the ethnic-nationalists effort will not end just in breaking apart the Ethiopian church but also could do the same to Ethiopian Muslims as well.
Ethio 360 media looked into the issue. Watch the discussion with Habtamu Ayalewu in the video below (in Amharic)
Video : embedded from Ethio 360 media Youtube channel
Cover photo : screenshot from video
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The post Ethiopian church finally reacting to mounting attacks. Ethio 360 looks into it appeared first on Borkena Ethiopian News.