The third and legitimate Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Abune Antonios
In another move that shames the totalitarian Eritrean government[1] and the collaborating Holy Synod once more, news came out from Asmara today that the legitimate patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tawahedo Church, Abune Antonios has been expelled from the Church, accusing him of allowing the Church to “becoming a congregation of heretics”.[2]
Abune Antonios (b. 1929) is the third Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church since 2004. After Eritrea gained its political independence from Ethiopia in 1993, it established also an independent Church from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and its autocephalous status was recognised by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Shenouda III (1971 – 2012) in 1999. It forms part of the group of Oriental Churches together with those of Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Armenia, Georgia and India; and they are all in full communion with each other. The first patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church was Abune Phillipos (1999 – 2002) and the second was Abune Yacob (4 December 2002 – 1 December 2003). Abune Antonios was then elected and ordained patriarch on 24 April 2004 with Pope Shenouda III presiding at the ceremony in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea; and his election was blameless, recognised by the majority, and recognised by all Oriental Churches.
But the dictatorial Eritrean government, headed by President Isaias Afwerki who has been in power since 1993, did not like Abune Antonios. In August 2005, Afwerki confined the patriarch, Abune Antonios to a strictly ceremonial role, and on 13 January 2006, helped by some rebellious bishops in the Eritrean Holy Synod and some influential laymen, particularly Yoftahe Dimetros, he was illegally and forcefully deposed. As in all such cases, when corrupt and dictatorial governments combined with ambitious ecclesiastics and rebellious influential laity come together, Abune Antonios was accused of heresy for he refused, on orders by the government, to excommunicate 3,000 members of a Sunday school movement. The real reason for his deposition, however, was his resistance to interference of the Eritrean government in the Church’s internal affairs, and the plan of the Eritrean government, as all dictatorial governments do, to have full control of the Eritrean Orthodox Church. It is known that for a long time Abune Antonios has been a critic of the government.
Since then, Abune Antonios has been under house arrest, and an imposter patriarch, Abune Dioskoros, not recognised by the Coptic Church or any of the other Oriental Churches, was enthroned. The latter died on 21 December 2015. Since then, the affairs of the Eritrian Orthodox Tewahedo Church have been led by Yoftahe Dimetros. No successor has been elected to date. The expulsion of Aune Antonios today is seen as a step towards putting in his place one of the bishop collaborators.
What is happening in Eritrea, a country we hold dear together with Ethiopia, is painful and alarming. We condemn it. It reminds us of many such sad moments in our own history. The interference of governments, particularly dictatorial governments, such as that of Eritrea and Egypt, must be resisted. They will never want an independent church that exercises its moral authority. Sadly, they all reach their objectives through ambitious or corrupt bishops and laity.
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[1] As to the dictatorial nature of President Afwerki’s rule, there is no doubt. Its human rights abuses have been widely condemned by the United Nationas and human rights organisations. See, e.g., Amnesty International: Eritrea: Rampant repression 20 years after independence (London, 9 May 2013). There have been no national elections in Eritrea since its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
[2] See: BBC, Eritrea Orthodox Church ex-leader expelled for ‘heresy’ (19 July 2019).
