By Staff Writer
NAIROBI, Kenya — His Holiness Abune Matthias I, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, has strongly condemned recent deadly attacks on monasteries and religious sites in the South Wollo and Hadiya-Silte Dioceses, demanding urgent government intervention and legal accountability.
In an official address delivered Saturday, July 25, 2026, the Patriarch expressed deep sorrow over a July 22 assault on the Giyon Abay Monastery of Asketis in South Wollo’s Borena District. The attack resulted in the deaths of several monks and nuns, left multiple individuals injured, and caused extensive damage to the monastery and its holy relics.
Patriarch Abune Matthias also cited a concurrent attack in the Hadiya-Silte Diocese, where perpetrators forcibly demolished an Orthodox place of worship and targeted local believers. He called both incidents entirely unacceptable.
“Raising a hand against monastics who have abandoned worldly gains to spend their lives in prayer for national peace—and who possess no means of self-defense—violates divine law and dishonors our history,” the Patriarch stated.
He stressed that protecting places of worship is a fundamental obligation of government authorities and law enforcement agencies tasked with maintaining the rule of law and safeguarding human dignity. The Patriarch urged state officials to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice, deploy adequate security around remaining monasteries, and provide emergency relief to surviving victims.
Concluding his address, Patriarch Abune Matthias called on all Ethiopians to extend humanitarian support to the affected communities, while conveying feast day blessings to Orthodox faithful observing the Feast of St. Gabriel, St. Qirqos, and St. Iyaluta.
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Such deadly violence against places of worship makes it even more complicated and extremely dangerous. It has now added intra religious clashes to the turmoil with one denomination turning against another. I’m now more worried about that country.