The 34th regular General Parish Holy Council concludes

October 26, 2015
By Kassa Nigus 
The 34th regular General Parish Holy Council of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has ended on October 22, 2015 after three days of meetings. During the council which was held at the patriarchate, the reports of all departments were presented by His Grace Abune Matewos, General Manager of the Patriarchate and Archbishop of Wolayta Konta and Dawro Dioceses.
The participants pledged to implement the 23 declarations the council passed before it wrapped up with the blessing and fatherly orders of His Holiness Abune Mathias. The declarations passed based on the presented reports include: 
  • Strengthening the evangelic mission especially in keeping church members, achievement of transparent and accountable administration in line with the teachings of the Church, and one that ensures the supremacy of the law, as maladministration in the church is leading many believers astray,
  • Protecting the supremacy and legitimate administration of the Holy Synod from different groups which evolved around it and have been challenging its power by circulating rumors and heretic teachings,  
  • Strengthening evangelic missions to peripheral areas of the country through the leadership of archbishops and church fathers to provide better church service to the local people, 
  • Introducing ‘the double entry book keeping system’ to modernize the church’s financial system and to stem wastage of resources, 
  • Increasing the number of preachers who teach in their mother tongues so as to expand evangelic services to different nations and nationalities who seek the church’s service, 
  • Providing evangelic services beyond the church’s compound in prisons, hospitals etc using modern media,  
  • Banning self-declared ‘baptizers’ and ‘preachers’ who spread heretic teachings in name of the church’s dogma, which eventually affects the wellbeing of the church,
  • Requesting collaboration from the participants to amend the ‘Kale Awadi’ (A book detailing the church’s rules and regulations) taking into account to cope with today’s world,   
  • Strengthening and paying prime attention to church schools and training centers  as well as the disciples they produce, by allocating adequate budget and resources, 
  • Solving the problems of churches, monasteries and parish church diocese affected by drought in collaboration with concerned bodies,
  • Strengthening and sustaining the ongoing global evangelic mission and cooperation with Oriental sister churches especially the Coptic Orthodox Church, 
  • Working together with the Holy Synod to implement the canonization of 30 Ethiopian Christians martyred in Libya’s desert,  
  • Establishing charitable organizations and sustainable development schemes in every diocese to help orphans and helpless elderly people, 
  • Confronting and curtailing the expansion of homosexuality which is against nature and God’s Commandments. 
At the end of the council, the general parish holy department awarded recognitions to selected diocese which achieved better performance in the previous fiscal year. The session was finally concluded with sermons, prayers, blessings.