Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is home to a small but historic Eastern Orthodox community served by the Holy Archdiocese of Aksum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, alongside the far larger (non-Chalcedonian) Ethiopian Tewahedo Church.
Orthodoxy in
Ethiopia.
A living tradition — its history, its faithful, its sacred places.
Although Ethiopia is famous as one of the most ancient Christian lands on earth, the overwhelming majority of Ethiopian Christians belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which is part of the Oriental (non-Chalcedonian) communion and therefore not in sacramental communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church. The properly Eastern Orthodox (Chalcedonian) presence in Ethiopia is a small but canonically organised community rooted in the long Greek diaspora of the Horn of Africa.
Canonical jurisdiction
Ethiopia falls within the Holy Archdiocese of Aksum, a diocese of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. Its territory covers Greek-speaking parishes in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia, with the archiepiscopal seat in Addis Ababa. The see of Aksum was established by a Patriarchal and Synodal Decree and received its current name in 1917.
Historical background
A Greek mercantile and artisan community has existed in Ethiopia for centuries, with a continuous presence in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Gondar and the western regions from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries onward. The Greeks built the first Byzantine-rite parishes to serve their own community, and these remain the nucleus of Eastern Orthodox life in the country today. The community was heavily reduced by departures following the Derg revolution of 1974 and the nationalisations that followed, but parish worship has continued uninterrupted.
Relations with the Tewahedo Church
The Patriarchate of Alexandria maintains cordial fraternal relations with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Patriarchate, although the two bodies are not in communion. Historically, until 1959, Ethiopian bishops were consecrated by the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria; since 1959 the Tewahedo Church has been autocephalous. The Chalcedonian Patriarchate of Alexandria operates separately, and the Archdiocese of Aksum pastors the small Greek-speaking and mixed faithful who confess the Council of Chalcedon.
Current state
Today the Greek community in Ethiopia numbers only a few hundred people, and the Archdiocese of Aksum is led by Metropolitan Daniel of Aksum, who also bears the title Exarch of All Ethiopia. Liturgical life is concentrated in Addis Ababa at the Cathedral Church of Saint Frumentius (the Phoenician-Syrian missionary traditionally regarded as the apostle of Aksum), with further parishes in Dire Dawa and a handful of smaller communities. Feast days follow the Greek-language Byzantine typikon, and St Frumentius is commemorated on 30 November in the Eastern Orthodox calendar.
Wider presence
Beyond the Archdiocese of Aksum, short-term pastoral visits have been made by clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church to minister to diplomatic and expatriate communities, but there is no permanent Russian Orthodox parish structure in the country. All canonical Eastern Orthodox life in Ethiopia operates under the omophorion of the Patriarch of Alexandria.
Saints of
Ethiopia.
1 venerated soul with ties to this land — fathers and mothers of the faith who are remembered here still.
Notable Eastern Orthodox churches in Ethiopia
The sacred architecture of Orthodox Ethiopia — cathedrals, parishes, and the mountain monasteries that keep the lamps burning.
- Cathedral Church of Saint Frumentius, Piassa, Addis Ababa — the seat of the Archdiocese of Aksum and the historical centre of the Greek Orthodox community in Ethiopia, dedicated to the fourth-century enlightener of Aksum.
- Metropolitan House of Aksum, Addis Ababa — the residence and chancery of the Metropolitan of Aksum and Exarch of All Ethiopia.
- Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Dire Dawa — a historic parish of the Archdiocese of Aksum serving the Greek community of eastern Ethiopia along the Addis Ababa–Djibouti rail corridor.
- Greek Orthodox parishes in the Amhara region — a small number of parishes and chapels historically associated with Greek merchant communities in central and northern Ethiopia, administered under the Archdiocese of Aksum.
Note: Ethiopia's most famous ancient churches — including the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Debre Damo monastery and the church complex at Aksum itself — belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which is part of the Oriental Orthodox communion and is not part of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Orthodoxy
kept here.
The shape of the faith as it is lived and prayed across Ethiopia today.
Eastern Orthodoxy in Ethiopia is a minority presence within a predominantly non-Chalcedonian Christian culture. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, to which roughly two-fifths of the population belong, is an Oriental Orthodox body and does not share sacramental communion with Constantinople, Alexandria (Greek), Moscow, Antioch or the other Chalcedonian patriarchates. For that reason, Eastern Orthodox pilgrims and residents in Ethiopia worship in a distinct set of parishes served by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Liturgical life in these parishes is conducted principally in Koine Greek, with some use of English for mixed congregations. The Divine Liturgy follows the standard Byzantine rite, and the typikon, feasts and fasting discipline are those of the new-calendar Patriarchate of Alexandria. The Archdiocese of Aksum administers the parishes, clergy training and limited missionary work within Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia.
Relations with the Ethiopian state are generally untroubled. The Eastern Orthodox community is small enough to be treated as one of several recognised Christian minorities and enjoys freedom of worship. Relations with the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church are fraternal and cooperative at the level of dialogue and diplomacy, even though full eucharistic communion is not presently shared.
Ethiopia is also a diaspora-receiving country: Greek, Cypriot, Russian, Romanian, Serbian and Georgian expatriates, as well as a handful of African converts, may be found among the faithful of the Archdiocese of Aksum, giving a modestly international character to its small congregations.
Asked
of this land.
Frequently asked questions about Orthodoxy in Ethiopia
Is the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church part of the Eastern Orthodox Church?
No. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is an Oriental Orthodox (non-Chalcedonian) body and is not in sacramental communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church of Constantinople, Alexandria (Greek), Antioch, Jerusalem, Moscow and the other Chalcedonian patriarchates. The two families share many liturgical and ascetical traditions but differ on the christological definitions of the Council of Chalcedon (451).
Which Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction covers Ethiopia?
Ethiopia belongs to the Holy Archdiocese of Aksum, a diocese of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. Its seat is in Addis Ababa, and it also covers Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia.
How many Eastern Orthodox Christians live in Ethiopia?
The Chalcedonian Orthodox community is very small — on the order of a few hundred faithful, mostly of Greek descent, together with a handful of other expatriates and local converts. By contrast, tens of millions of Ethiopians belong to the Oriental Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which is a separate communion.
What language is used in the services?
Divine services in the parishes of the Archdiocese of Aksum in Ethiopia are celebrated primarily in Koine Greek, with some English for mixed communities. The liturgical calendar follows the Revised Julian (new) calendar used by the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Who is Saint Frumentius, and why is he important?
Saint Frumentius (d. c. 383) is revered as the enlightener of Ethiopia and the first bishop of Aksum. He was consecrated by Saint Athanasius the Great in Alexandria in the mid-fourth century. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him on 30 November, and the principal Greek Orthodox parish in Addis Ababa bears his name.
Can visitors attend Eastern Orthodox services in Ethiopia?
Yes. The Church of Saint Frumentius in the Piassa district of Addis Ababa and the Holy Trinity parish in Dire Dawa welcome Orthodox Christians from around the world. Visitors are encouraged to contact the Metropolis office in Addis Ababa for service times.