Cardinal Souraphiel: the Church is close to the people suffering in Ethiopia

By Michele Raviart and Lisa Zengarini

The Ethiopian bishops are in Rome for their periodic ‘Ad Limina’ visit to the Holy See. On June 28 they met with Pope Francis with whom they shared the current situation in the Horn of Africa nation ravaged by years of ethnic conflicts.

During their conversation with the Pope the Ethiopian bishops warmly thanked him for his relentless support and appeals for peace in Ethiopia and presented the current situation in the country  where a peace agreement has been reached for Tigray, but other armed conflicts are still ongoing.   

Speaking to Vatican News’ Michele Raviart, the President of the Episcopal Conference of Ethiopia, Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, explained that the bishops focused in particular on the situation of young Ethiopians who make up 70% of the population and are  increasingly tempted to migrate abroad, including to Europe, due to war and lack of perspectives in their country.

Migrants, whether for Africa or Syria, must be supported,  the Archbishop of Addis Ababa emphasized, recalling that Pope Francis has being saying this since his visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013.

He said the Pope encouraged the Ethiopian Church, a small minority of 2%,  to continue its outreach efforts for the poorand  most vulnerable in Ethiopia, including children who cannot go to school, mothers who cannot go to hospital and the elderly who have been displaced by war:  “The Pope reminded us bishop must always be with the people and insisted  that fraternity and paternal presence are most important.” 

Regarding the ongoing armed conflicts in Ethiopia, Cardinal Souraphiel reiterated that the Catholic Church does not take any side, but is only on the side of the people who suffer and works for reconciliation. This is done not only at the level of the local Church but also with the support of the universal Church, including that of the many missionaries from across the world who work with us, he said.

Following is the is the full text of the interview.

What did you say to Pope Francis?

Cardinal Souraphiel:  We presented the situation in Ethiopia focusing in particular on young people, because they make up 70% of the population and want to improve their lives and that of their families. On TV and social media they see how people live in other parts of the world and many go to Arab countries but, unfortunately, they suffer there because they are not prepared to work as domestic servants. Others want to go to South Africa, where things are a little better, but there are problems there too. Others move north crossing Sudan and Libya to get to Europe.

Cardinal Souraphiel:  In the 19th century many Europeans emigrated and there were some places in Europe willing to receive and support them, but this is not the case today. Pope Francis knows this. The first place he went to visit, after the election, was Lampedusa, where he offered flowers for all those who died at sea and where he told European governments that migration is important. We must do something to help people, whether in Africa or Syria or other countries. The Pope told us that when it comes to the poor we must be close to them. We explained to him that we are close to the children, who can’t go to school because schools are destroyed, to the mothers who cannot go to hospitals because they are destroyed and to the elderly who are displaced from their villages and live like foreigners. He encouraged us to continue to be close to the people, to be among the people. A bishop must be a shepherd with the smell of sheep, he must not run away but must be among the people, he said. the Pope insisted   that Even if you cannot achieve great things, fraternity and paternal presence are important, 

How is the life of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia, which is a minority community in the country?

Cardinal Souraphiel: We are a minority of about 2%. The majority of the some 120 million Ethiopians are Christian: more than 45% are Orthodox, then we have Protestants, around 18-20%. We have a responsibility to be light and salt in this great country. The challenges are poverty and conflicts and, thanks to the support of the universal Church, we are the second social services provider , including schools, health centres, centres run by the Sisters of Mother Teresa or centres for human development and humanitarian agencies like Caritas. In all this we are called to be light and salt, as Jesus told us. It's not easy, but we're trying.

Pope Francis during the meeting with the Catholic bishops of Ethiopia on June 28

You also spoke about the conflicts affecting Ethiopia, such the one in Tigray. What are the repercussions of these conflicts  on the population?

Cardinal Souraphiel: The conflict in Tigray was between the regional government and the federal government. A political matter, but those who suffer are the people. Thank God, after two years they reached a peace agreement in Pretoria. The other conflict is in the Oromia province. The Oromo Liberation Army has been fighting the federal government for four years and even there those who suffer are the people. They started talks in Tanzania, but still haven’t reached a peace agreement. The third front , which opened more than a year ago, is in the Amhara province where there are also groups fighting the federal government. Hopefully, they will find a a solution. The Catholic Church does not support either one or the other party, but we are with the people who suffer.

We are rather for social outreach and for seeking reconciliation for the post-war period, when not only peace must be made, but also those who have suffered directly in the war must be healed from trauma, such as the women victims of abuse and the children who have seen their families die. This is important and is not done only at the level of out small Church, but with the support of the universal Church. It can be done together with the many missionaries from all over the world who work with us .