•His holiness funeral to be held on March 13 at Holy Trinity Cathedral
BY MESERET BEHAILU & TAMERU REGASA
ADDIS ABABA – The 4th Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church (EOTC), His Holiness Abune Merkorios passed away yesterday having received medical treatments over the weeks.
President Sahlework Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have expressed condolences over the passing away of the 4th Patriarch of EOTC, His Holiness Abune Merkorios.
President Sahlework expressed her condolences to the families of His Holiness and the people of Ethiopia wishing the Almighty God to place his soul in the heaven.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his part praised His Holiness for his critical role for the reunification of the two synods of the EOTC at home and abroad.
The Patriarch was serving the nation with his prayers, the Prime Minister added, noting that missing of His Holiness at this time is a great loss.
Similarly, the Embassies of Russian Federation and the U.S. to Ethiopia expressed condolences over the passing away of the 4th Patriarch of the EOTC His Holiness Abune Merkorios.
Ambassador of Russia to Ethiopia, EvgenyTerekhin said that : “On behalf of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ethiopia and on my own, I express sincerest and deepest condolences to all who mourn the passing away of the 4th Patriarch of the EOTC.
The Ambassador said that the role of His Holiness in preserving and augmenting the role of the EOTC is invaluable and his legacy is precious and the decease is a great loss for the whole Orthodox world. “We grieve with the people of Ethiopia.”
In its condolence message, the U.S. Embassy stated that it extends condolences to all who are mourning the loss of His Holiness.
His Holiness, Abune Merkorios was crowned and elected as the 4th Patriarch of the EOTC after the death of Abuna Tekle Haymanot in May 1988. Three years later, he fled abroad due to political pressure and stayed in exile for close to 27 years. Having lived along in the U.S., His Holiness returned homeland in 2018. He had served as the fourth Patriarch of EOTC for over the past 34 years at home and abroad.
The Holy Synod of the EOTC announced that the funeral of His Holiness patriarch Abune Merkorios will take place on March 13,2022 at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa.
The March 5/2022
