Addis Abeba : The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) has this morning issued an official apology for failing the Tigray region Orthodox Church and its followers during the Tigray war. BackgroundThe Holy Synod in Addis Abeba found itself at loggerheads with the Tigray Orthodox Church in the wake of the two years devastating war in the Tigray region, which led to the Tigray Council of Bishops to severe relations with the Holy Synod, which they blamed for endorsing a “war of genocide that was declared on the people of Tigray.”On 07 May 2021 the Archbishops in Tigray have already announced the formation of the new Tigray Orthodox Church, effectively cutting ties with the EOTC Holy Synod in Addis Abeba. The archbishops in the region said their decision to severe ties with the Synod was as a result of its silence while many priests were killed, monasteries and churches in Tigray destroyed, and religious heritages were looted during the war. Attempts at reconciliation have since not yielded a positive result. However, the apology did not mention the main bone of contention raised by the Tigray region religious leaders that members of the Synod had played active roles in fulling the war in the region.

Source: Ethiopian News July 06, 2023 14:03 UTC