The Coptic Orthodox acting patriarch Anba Pachomeus, accompanied by a delegation of top Coptic clerics, has left Cairo to Addis Ababa to take part in the funeral of the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church Abune Paulos XVI who passed away at age 76 last Wednesday after a short illness
The Coptic Orthodox acting patriarch Anba Pachomeus, accompanied by a delegation of top Coptic clerics, has left Cairo to Addis Ababa to take part in the funeral of the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church Abune Paulos XVI who passed away at age 76 last Wednesday after a short illness.
A State funeral will be held for Abune Paulos next Thursday.
Abune Paulos led Ethiopia’s 40 million Orthodox—half the population—since 1992. He is seen by many to have brought the church in line to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
The relationship between the Coptic Church and the Ethiopian church goes back to the third century when the first Bishop was named by the Coptic Alexandrian pope St Athanasius the Great as head of the Ethiopian church. The Ethiopian church continued to be part of the Coptic Church till 1959 when the Coptic Pope Kyrillos VI granted it its own patriarch Abune Basilios. Since that time the Ethiopian church has been independent, but nevertheless has enjoyed a very special relation with the Coptic Church.
Abune Paulos last visited Egypt in 2011 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the enthronement of Pope Shenouda III who passed away last March. Abune Paulos expressed his heartfelt condolences at the death of Pope Shenouda, and sent a representative to Cairo to participate in his funeral.
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WATANI International
19 August 2012