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HomeEthiopian NewsReligious leaders declare a one-day prayer for peace in the new year

Religious leaders declare a one-day prayer for peace in the new year

The ending Ethiopian year has been a rough one for millions of Ethiopians as politically charged ethnic-based violence brought about insecurity problem and displacement, among other things. And as the country is poised to welcome its new year, religious leaders declared a one-day prayer for peace.

prayer for peace
Member of Ethiopia’s religious council. Photo credit : ENA

borkena
August 30, 2019

Ethiopian religious Council, whose members are drawn from all religious groups in the country, declared a one-day prayer across the nation.

They picked Pagume 1 (that is the beginning of Ethiopia’s thirteenth month of the year and corresponds to September 6 in Gregorian calendar) for the day of prayer.

It called on the federal and regional government authorities, security personnel, mass media, youth, mothers and religious fathers to do their part during the prayer day.

The religious council was joined by Ethiopian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is established by the Ethiopian Parliament based on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Proposal, during a press conference on Friday, August 30, 2019.

“It has become necessary to declare a day of prayer to receive the new year [Ethiopian New Year which falls on September 12 this year] with new thought, heart, and mind for violence and conflicts that happened [in the ending year] to give way to peace, love and thinking about one another,” the religious council is cited as saying by Ethiopian News Agency (ENA).

It is natural and expected that differences in thought could lead to conflict, says the religious council. However, said the council, it is concerned that the conflict got complicated to the point that it is leading to loss of lives and destruction of properties. 

The religious body also pointed out that above everything else, the dignity of man, respect for man, justice, and equality are priorities.

“Ethiopians have formed shared values and the history of their unity is built on a strong foundation that they have lived together forging a common identity and respecting one another although there were differences in ethnicity or religion,” the council stated during the press conference.

The religious fathers believe that value needs to be passed from generation to generation.

Ethiopia experienced prevalent violence – most of which was ethnic-based one- in the ending Ethiopian year. As a result of which hundreds of lives were lost and property worth millions of Ethiopian birr destructed- not to mention hundreds of thousands of cases of internal displacement in the country.

The latest string of widespread ethnic-based violence happened in Sidama zone of Southern Peoples, Nations, and Nationalities region. Authorities have confirmed at least 53 people died, 54 wounded and property worth millions of birr destroyed.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Amen!!! I am with you dear countrymen/women in spirit and prayers. That country, that gem of the colored and humanity was put there with all its current contents by The Almighty Our Creator. But jinns, former pushers of the demonic Marxist philosophy who were raising the name of Almighty Our Creator in vain have now became peddlers of hate and sheer bigotry toward harmonious and innocent neighbors. They are poisoning the youth by giving them surnames their mothers and fathers never gave them as Oromos, Amharas, Tigres, Somalis, Afars and others. They are telling them you never knew Oromos, Amharas, Tigres or any other. They are leading them going ujuum into inferno they are hell bent to ignite. They are pressuring the gullible youth to go out and burn job sustaining factories and other business settings. If it does not belong to you just burn it down to the ground, they tell them. They say ‘you see that Guji!!! Go and dust him off because the land he is living on was yours in 1870. You see that Tigre; You see that Oromo; You see that Somali; You see that Amhara; You see that Afar. Go and have him bite the dust and take over his house and land because all that used to belong to you before 1880. That is what these demons who used to roam among us here in the West and scavenge at the dumpsites in Asmara and other joints are bombarding the very naive and hapless youth among you. One time it was ethnicity and at another time it was the language. Now it is everything about the other people. They may be dabbling now with most dangerous topic, religion.

    These demons will not stop at anything. Their ultimate objective is to yank away an ethnic group and a territory to call it their personal fiefdom. They steal from others too. They are ‘un-indicted’ thieves. I read a story today that one of these bigoted groups was allegedly caught stealing 13 goats that belong to those they don’t like. They stole the goats in broad daylight. They have no class. I cringed when I found out where this happened. It was committed by the leader of the Tigray region and his ragtag thugs. I could not believe that. They stole goats!!!! Can you believe that? They stole goats!!! Thieves!!! Connivers!!!!

    Some of them have been wheeling and dealing in my name enriching themselves in the process. They have their own media giants that were never audited by independent auditors. They do lucrative business by selling poison and get a huge cut out of it. They are getting fatter by the day from the choice fillet mignon they are putting on their dinner tables every night while you are having an impossible time in being able to feed your families even once every day. These heathens are everywhere. It is your religious duty to rein in on these modern day Shaitans. I am with you in spirit and my daily prayers!!!!

  2. A very commendable act by the religious leaders to help the citzens reflect and calibrate, their actions and behavior, consistent with the PM,s slogan of Medemer.

  3. It is to buld thier image . They all are corrupted and always in favor of every ruling political party . They donot expose the crime committed by politicians

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