The Ethiopian Orthodox Church Reclaims Its Confiscated Houses
August 31, 2016
By Tsegaye Girma
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church reclaimed 28 houses which were confiscated from the Church during the nationalization program of the Dergue regime.
Megabe Kahinat Haile Selassie Zemariam, director of department of clergy administration and chairman of houses and building joint committee, which is tasked with returning the churches’ confiscated properties, said the 28 confiscated houses were returned to the church from three sub cities of Addis Ababa on August 25, 2016: 18 houses from Lideta sub city, five from Yeka and another five from Kirkos sub cities.
He also noted that based on the assessment of the committee, 283 buildings of the church, which were seized by the Dergue regime, have been identified in different sub cities of Addis. Among the houses, 137 of them have legal land certification. Furthermore, 109 of the houses will be returned to the church till the end of this year.
The committee will continue its efforts to reclaim all the remaining buildings and houses to the church in the future, Megabe Kahinat Haile Selassie added.