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 discussed the current situation in the Horn of Africa country ravaged by years of ethnic conflict.

During their conversation with the Pope, the Ethiopian bishops warmly thanked him for his unwavering support and calls 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.

In an interview with Vatican News agency Michele Raviart, the president of the Ethiopian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, explained that the bishops focused in particular on the situation of young Ethiopians, who represent 70% of the population and are increasingly tempted to migrate abroad, including to Europe, due to the war and the lack of prospects in their country.

Migrants, whether from Africa or Syria, must be supported, stressed the Archbishop of Addis Ababa, recalling that Pope Francis had been saying this since his visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013.

He said the pope encouraged the Ethiopian Church, a small 2 percent minority, to continue its efforts to help the poor and vulnerable in Ethiopia, including children who cannot go to school, mothers who cannot go to hospital and the elderly displaced by war: “The pope reminded us that the 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 recalled that the Catholic Church does not take sides with any camp, but stands only on the side of the people who are suffering 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 around the world who work with us, he said.

Here is the full text of the interview.

What did you say to Pope Francis?

Cardinal Souraphiel: We presented the situation in Ethiopia with a focus on young people, who represent 70% of the population and want to improve their lives and those of their families. On television and social media, they see how people live in other parts of the world and many of them go to Arab countries, but unfortunately they suffer there because they are not prepared to work as domestic workers. Others want to go to South Africa, where the situation is a little better, but there are problems there too. Others head north through Sudan and Libya to reach Europe.

Cardinal Souraphiel: In the 19th century, many Europeans emigrated and there were places in Europe that were ready to welcome them and support them, but that is no longer the case today. Pope Francis knows this. The first place he visited, after his 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, 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 cannot go to school because the schools are destroyed, to the mothers who cannot go to the hospital because they are destroyed and to the elderly who are displaced from their villages and live as strangers. 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 the sheep, he must not run away but must be among the people, he said. The pope insisted that even if one cannot achieve great things, fraternity and paternal presence are important.

How is life in 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 120 million Ethiopians are Christians: more than 45% are Orthodox, then we have the Protestants, about 18-20%. We have the responsibility to be the light and the salt in this great country. The challenges are poverty and conflict and, thanks to the support of the universal Church, we are the second provider of social services, including schools, health centers, centers run by Mother Teresa's sisters or human development centers and humanitarian agencies like Caritas. In all this, we are called to be the light and the salt, as Jesus told us. It is not easy, but we try.

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

You also mentioned the conflicts affecting Ethiopia, particularly the conflict in Tigray. What are the repercussions of these conflicts on the population?

Cardinal Souraphiel: The conflict in Tigray is between the regional government and the federal government. It is a political issue, but it is the people who are suffering. Thank God, after two years, they reached a peace agreement in Pretoria. The other conflict is in Oromia province. The Oromo Liberation Army has been fighting the federal government for four years and even there, it is the people who are suffering. They have started negotiations in Tanzania, but they have not yet reached a peace agreement. The third front, which opened more than a year ago, is in Amhara province, where there are also groups fighting against the federal government. Let us hope that they will find a solution. The Catholic Church does not support either party, but we stand with the people who are suffering.

We are rather for social action and the search for reconciliation in the post-war period, where it is necessary not only to make peace, but also to heal those who have suffered directly from the war from their traumas, such as women victims of abuse and children who have seen their families die. This is important and is not done only at the level of our small Church, but with the support of the universal Church. It can be done with the many missionaries around the world who work with us.