Pope Francis Meets Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch Abune Mathias, Calls Martyrs Seed of Christian Unity

Pope Francis said Monday that today’s martyrs have become “the seed of Christian unity” during an audience at the Vatican with Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and his delegation. The meeting took place on Feb. 29, 2016.

The Pope said that “the ecumenism of the martyrs is a summons to us, here and now, to advance on the path to ever greater unity.” He drew a parallel with the early Church: “Just as in the early Church the shedding of the blood of martyrs became the seed of new Christians, so today the blood of the many martyrs of all the Churches has become the seed of Christian unity.”

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. According to the report, these Churches reject the 451 Council of Chalcedon, and Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox have historically considered their followers to be monophysites, a term for those who believe Christ has only one nature. The report noted that this meeting was the first between Pope Francis and Abune Mathias. Abune Mathias’s predecessor, Abune Paulos, had met with St. John Paul II in 1993 and with Benedict XVI in 2009.

Pope Francis acknowledged the long history of martyrdom within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and described a “devastating outbreak of violence” against Christians and minorities in the Middle East and parts of Africa. In April 2015, he had sent condolences to Abune Mathias after the Islamic State released a video showing a mass execution of Ethiopian Christians by its militants in Libya. During the meeting, he said, “We cannot fail, yet again, to implore those who govern the world’s political and economic life to promote a peaceful coexistence based on reciprocal respect and reconciliation, mutual forgiveness and solidarity.”

Quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that “If one member suffers, all suffer together,” the Pope said that “Shared sufferings have enabled Christians, otherwise divided in so many ways, to grow closer to one another.” He added: “The martyrs and saints of all the ecclesial traditions are already one in Christ. Their names are inscribed in the one martyrologium of the Church of God.” He said the visit to Rome by Abune Mathias “strengthens the fraternal bonds already uniting our Churches,” and noted that in the early Church one Church would commonly send representatives to the synods of other Churches. He also said a Holy See delegation had been present at the 2012 funeral of Abune Paulos.

The Pope praised progress in the theological dialogue led by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. “We are happy to note the increasing participation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in this dialogue,” he said. He stated that, through the commission, “we have come to see that we have almost everything in common: one faith, one Baptism, one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” Speaking of shared unity in practice, he said, “What unites us is greater than what divides us.” The Pope’s remarks reflect a picture of believers living together in unity (Psalm 133:1).

Pope Francis also praised Ethiopia’s advancements in improving “the living conditions of its people” and in building “an ever more just society, based on the rule of law and respect for the role of women.”

Source: Read the original report