Ethiopian Citizens For Social Justice Party (EZEMA) says government should respect law by not interfering in religious affairs and the enforce law to maintain order
borkena
Ethiopian Citizens For Social Justice Party (EZEMA) on Tuesday remarked in connection with the development within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
It said EZEMA “has been following the recent problem in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church attentively.”
It is to be recalled that his three Bishops, last week, announced the ordination of 26 Bishops for the Oromia region of Ethiopia in violation of the canons of the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches.
The group has been getting security protection from the regional government while some religious leaders with recognition from the Holy Synod were subjected to arrest and harassment by security in the region in what appears to be support to the newly emerged group with the aspiration to establish Oromia patriarchate.
EZEMA party cited article 11 of the existing Ethiopian Constitution to point out that church and religion are separate entities and the government should not interfere in the matter except in the form of law enforcement.
“We are concerned about the measures that security forces are taking against the constitutional declaration that government does not interfere in the region and in turn religion does not interfere in government,” the party said in a brief statement that it shared on its social media page.
Furthermore, it said that the involvement of different groups with different political agenda and their participation in the problem in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church could worsen it and lead to bloody violence. The party was explicitly saying that it has observed a tendency of exploiting the situation to advance a political agenda.
It called for the government to assess potential sources of danger including its own role, and take urgent action to address them.
” We advise that interference in religious affairs by any entity could have multiple consequences and relevant stakeholders should make ultimate caution,” it said.
Government should understand that Interference in the affairs of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church from different directions will have a serious consequence and that the government should respect law and order and enforce it too, the party said.
The party also expressed its view that religious institutions in the country could play a greater role in building values in society and that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church could be cited as an example in this regard.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held a meeting with his cabinet minister on Thursday. He made claims that his government has done a lot for Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and that it is not interfering in religious affairs.
However, he said that his government sent a delegation to both groups and offered to advise them to reconcile their differences.
__
To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com
Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Join the conversation. Follow us on twitter @zborkenato get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Like borkena on Facebook as well. Subscribe to YouTube channel.
,%20Ethiopian%20Opposition,%20blames%20the%20government%20for%20interference%20in%20Orthodox%20Church%20problem){kind=link}
Abiy Ahmed has exposed the truth and he is better than your wicked Bishops who excommunicated our Bishops. You will no longer work in our church. We excommunicated you too!!YOu will die being excommunicated and join devil in his palace. Your excommunication is useless as long as you atre celebrated notorious criminals who bless Fanos to kill Oromos!!
State should not intervene in the church affair. You slaughter our people and hanged it on an iron . YOu are cannibalists and we don’t want you. You will not make statement when Oromo slaughtered by knives like sheeps. You are no concerned about your money which is your blood vessel.
Hats off to Prophet Yonatan, king of Prophets and pastors