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Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

3 bytes added, 22:03, February 23, 2011
Recent History
The Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches reached an agreement on [[July 13]], 1948, that led to [[autocephaly]] for the Church of Ethiopia. Five [[bishop]]s were immediately consecrated by the [[Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria]], empowered to elect a new patriarch for their church. It was also agreed that the successor to Archbishop Abuna Qerilos IV, a Copt, would have the power to consecrate new bishops. This promotion was completed when Coptic Pope Yosab of Alexandria consecrated an Ethiopian-born bishop, Abune Basilyos, on [[January 14]], 1951. Then in 1959 Pope [[Cyril VI of Alexandria]] enthroned Abune Basilyos as the first Patriarch of Ethiopia.
Patriarch Abune Basilyos died in 1971 and was succeeded that year by Patriarch Abune Tewoflos. With the fall of Emperor Haile Silase in 1974 the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church was disestablished as the state church. The new Marxist government began nationalizing property (including land) owned by the Church and in 1976 Abune Tewoflos was arrested by the Communist Derg regime. He was secretly executed later that year. The government subsequently ordered the Church to elect a new patriarch and a simple monk from the countryside, Abune [[Tekle HaimanotII]], was enthroned. The Coptic Orthodox Church refused to recognize the election and enthronement of Abune Tekle Haimanot on the grounds that the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church had not removed Abune Tewoflos and that the government had not publicly acknowledged his death, and that he was thus still the legitimate patriarch of Ethiopia. Formal relations between the two churches were stopped, although they remained in communion with each other, and were resumed on July 13, 2007<ref>[http://www.cathcil.org/v04/doc/English/visitseng.htm#11 "Common Declaration" of Pope Shenoudah III, Catholicos Aram I, and Patriarch Paulos - News and Media of the Armenian Orthodox Church, 22 July 2007]</ref>
[[Image:AnastasiosAndPaulos.JPG|350px|thumb|Archbishop Anastasios of Albania visits with Abune P'awlos at the 2008 Central Committee meeting of the World Council of Churches]]
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