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Ethiopian bishop and Patriarch (–)

Abune Merkorios (born Ze-Libanos Fanta; 14 June – 3 March ^[1]) was an Ethiopian bishop and the fourth Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, elected after the death of Abuna Takla Haymanot in May Merkorios remained Patriarch for three years until , when the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) overthrew the Communist military junta known as Derg in Addis Ababa.^[2][3] After spending almost three decades living in exile, he was allowed to return to Addis Ababa and be recognized as Patriarch alongside Abune Mathias.^[4]

Early life

Known before his elevation to the episcopacy as Abba (Father) Ze-Libanos Fanta, he was born into the minor nobility of Begemder Province.

Abune mekarios in asmara setia city This was quickly followed by the excommunication of Abune Merkorios and the bishops who presided over the anointing of the 13 new bishops, by the Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Addis Ababa. Personally a quiet, unassuming and humble man, he was however regarded as acquiescent to the rule of the Marxist Derg regime of that era. With the encouragement of the newly elected Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed , reconciliation talks between the two rival synods began anew, and on 27 July representatives from both synods reached an agreement. Efforts to heal this rift continued sporadically for 26 years, finally coming to fruition in when His Holiness Abune Merkorios returned to Ethiopia accompanied by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

He was considered something of a liturgical expert, and served for many years at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa. Abba Ze-Libanos was raised to the rank of Bishop by Patriarch Abuna Takla Haymanot in over his home province of Beghemidir (then known as Gondar Province), taking the name Merkorios. Abune Merkorios served as Archbishop of Gondar until he became Patriarch of Ethiopia in Abune Merkorios' tenure of Archbishop of Gondar included the period known as the "Red Terror" in Ethiopia, and which was carried out with particular brutality in the town and province of Gondar under the governorship of Melaku Teferra, a particularly notorious member of the Derg.

Abune Merkorios would later face accusations of not only having kept silent during the horrors of the "Red Terror" in Gondar, but of having a particularly close relationship with Governor Melaku. In a sign of the favor of the Derg regime, in , Abune Merkorios was appointed one of a very small and select group of clergy to serve as a member of the Shengo, the national parliament set up by the Derg when it proclaimed the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia that year.

He remained a member of the parliament until his enthronement as Patriarch. These allegations of closeness to the Communist Derg regime helped undermine the Patriarch, when the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) came to power.

Abune mekarios in asmara setia This section does not cite any sources. Sign in to edit. Abune Merkorios. Therefore, although Abuna Tewophilos had been dead for over a decade at the time of Abuna Merkorios' installation, without public acknowledgment by the Derg of the death and the funeral of Abuna Tewophilos, Abune Merkorios would not be recognized.

Abdication and exile

Abune Merkorios was ousted by EPRDF regime in , particularly on the orders of then Prime Minister Tamrat Layne. He was followed on the throne of the Ethiopian Church by Abune Paulos, the fifth official patriarch of the church, although many Ethiopian churches in the diaspora continued to recognize Abune Merkorios as Patriarch in opposition to Paulos.^[3] The following year he fled to Kenya, later relocating to the United States in , where churches had begun to secede from the synod in Ethiopia following the leadership of Abuna Yesehaq.

These churches formed a synod in exile and eventually both synods were mutually excommunicated.^[4]

Efforts to heal the threatened schism had shown promising results through late and early However, the sudden deaths of both Patriarch Abune Paulos and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi caused efforts to slow down as the synod in Ethiopia went through a leadership transition.

During the reconciliation negotiations, the synod in exile insisted that Abune Merkorios be allowed to resume the Patriarchal throne, something that neither the synod in Ethiopia nor the Ethiopian government was willing to consider.

Abune mekarios in asmara setia 3 These bishops retaliated by excommunicating the Church Synod at Addis Ababa. Journal of Eastern African Studies. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Article Talk.

With the election of Abune Mathias as the 6th Patriarch of Ethiopia on 28 February , reconciliation talks were ended for the time being.

Reinstatement

With the encouragement of the newly elected Ethiopian Prime MinisterAbiy Ahmed, reconciliation talks between the two rival synods began anew, and on 27 July representatives from both synods reached an agreement.^[4] According to the terms of the agreement, Abune Merkorios was reinstated as Patriarch alongside Abune Mathias, who will continue to be responsible for administrative duties, and the two synods were merged into one synod, with any excommunications between them lifted.^[5]

On 1 August , Abune Merkorios entered Ethiopia for the first time in 26 years, flying together with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

On 4 March , Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced Abune Merkorios' death, thus ending the dual patriarchy after four years.^[1]

See also

References