Abune Fanuel writes letter to Obama condemning legalization of same sex marriage
October 28, 2015
By Kassa Nigus
During the 34th regular General Parish Holy Council of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church which lasted three days, from October 19-22, 2015, the reports of all departments were presented. Among the presented reports, one is the report of Abune Fanuel, archbishop of Washington DC and California diocese under the Ethiopia Orthodox Tewahido Church.
In his report, His grace Abune Fanuel attached the letter written to the 44th and current President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama. The letter is full of rebukes against the endorsement of the same sex marriage in the constitution of USA in the presidency of President Obama. The letter read as follows;
To His Excellency, President Barack Hussein Obama
President of United States of America.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20500
Your Excellency, May God’s grace be up on you!
I am Abune Fanuel, archbishop of Washington DC and California diocese under the Ethiopia Orthodox Tewahido Church writing this letter to you. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has three dioceses (the throne of archbishops) in the USA: New York, California and Washington DC. We have no less than one hundred parish churches with more than one million church members.
Your Excellency,
We would like to thank you for visiting our country Ethiopia, the blessed land of GOD. This historic visit makes you the first American president to visit Ethiopia. We are so grateful for this visit.
Your Excellency,
We are in extreme sadness about the endorsement of same sex marriage during your presidency. GOD condemns same sex marriage. America is a blessed and sovereign country that is a host to people without any discrimination in race and colour. But the practice of Sodomite violates God’s law; brings disorder to the rule of marriage; and puts in danger the God-given law of generation succeeding generation.
We are in extreme sadness about the endorsement of same sex marriage during your presidency. GOD condemns same sex marriage. America is a blessed and sovereign country that is a host to people without any discrimination in race and colour. But the practice of Sodomite violates God’s law; brings disorder to the rule of marriage; and puts in danger the God-given law of generation succeeding generation.
This blessed land has been living by worshipping God and puts the label “we trust in GOD” in its currency to express subservience to GOD. But the law that was enacted recently will be invoking the Wrath of GOD the same way as recorded in the Holy Scripture, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted His way upon the earth.”(Genesis 6:11-12), “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.” (Genesis 19: 24-25) This Wrath could befall in this land in your presidency for giving legal recognition for the rule of sodomite and trespassing GOD’s Commandment.
In the New Testament, St Paul in his epistle to Rome also teaches about the wickedness of sodomites and God’s rage in response to this shameful action, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, …Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever… For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Rome 1: 22-28)
Your Excellency,
In your term of office, a period in which we saw a lot of good things with our eyes and heard good news, it is not understandable to hear you, who we believe cares about all mankind, approved such a legal provision (sodomite), while we are still expressing our admiration for good job you have done. It is very wise to give the issue a lot of thought before it had a chance to take roots in the nation; not only for the sake of the kind of history you are making but also for America, the mother of all mankind, for it might bring the Wrath of God.
If the “GOD bless America” kicker sweet to the ears across the USA, is not counterbalanced by a practical respect for the Law of God, will be like the epistle of St Paul to Timothy, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”(Tim2. 3:5), as we learn from our apostolic fathers, “….We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts3:5).
Accordingly, we would like to express our indignation at and condemnation of this sodomite law on my own behalf and on the behalf of parishes found in my diocese.
Your Excellency,
We beseech you in the strongest terms possible to correct this historic error and to retrace the steps from this evil deed and repent so as to make sure God’s Laws are respected.
May GOD’s peace be with us all!
Abba Fanuel, archbishop of Washington DC & California diocese