Are Ethiopians losing faith in their Orthodox Church?

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - once a powerful marker of nationhood - is deeply split as result of the recent civil war in Tigray which exacerbated historical tensions in the church.

The Church, which traces its history to the fourth century, was once the biggest denomination in Ethiopia with nearly 44 percent of the population calling themselves Orthodox Christians, but now its centrality in Ethiopian spiritual and political life - once unquestioned - appears to hang in the balance, with a steady increase in the number of people joining other denominations and the number of people calling themselves Orthodox Christians diminishing. Ethiopia is a modern state, with the second largest population in Africa, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019. But months after he took power, Ethiopia was ripped apart by a civil war which broke out in November 2020 and left tens of thousands of civilians dead. In May 2021, four archbishops in Tigray announced that they were forming an independent structure. They accused the church of not opposing the war - and of being too close to Abiy Ahmed's government. Although a ceasefire was agreed in 2022, the recent splits highlight historic ethnic and religious tensions in Ethiopia.

Contributors:

Ralph Lee: Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in the UK. Mebratu Kelecha: London School of Economics. His research focuses on conflict, peace building and democracy. Yohannes Woldemariam: US-based academic specialising in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. Jorge Haustein: Associate Professor of World Christianity at the University of Cambridge.

CREDITS Presenter: Audrey Brown Producer: Philip Reevell. Researcher: Matt Toulson Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards. Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott

Main Image: Ethiopian Orthodox priests walk around the church during the Saint Michael's anniversary celebration at St. Michael church in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia

Image Credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba\AFP via Getty