Stop the attacks on the Church. Places of worship are being destroyed.

Re: Ethiopian Tewahedo Church under attack

Dear Sir or Madam,

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church — one of the oldest Christian institutions in the world, with a history spanning over 1,600 years — is under systematic attack. We write to draw your urgent attention to a pattern of violence targeting clergy, monasteries, and faithful communities that has gone largely unreported by international media.

On 20 February 2024, four monks were massacred at the ancient Ziquala monastery, a 12th-century pilgrimage site of profound spiritual significance to millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. This was not an isolated incident. Over the past several years, more than thirty churches have been attacked, burned, or destroyed across regions where Amhara communities live. Clergy have been killed, congregations have been dispersed, and centuries-old religious heritage has been desecrated.

These attacks occur against a backdrop of political manipulation of the Church’s governance. In 2023, a parallel synod was established by government-aligned figures in an unprecedented act of schism, in direct violation of the Church’s canonical traditions and the wishes of its legitimate Holy Synod. This manufactured division serves to weaken an institution that has historically provided community cohesion, moral authority, and humanitarian support to millions of Ethiopians.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has documented incidents of violence against religious communities. International bodies — including the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom — have raised concerns. Yet meaningful accountability remains absent.

We call on the international community — governments, human rights organisations, religious freedom advocates, and international media — to:

1. Publicly condemn the killings of clergy and the destruction of religious sites;
2. Call on the Ethiopian government to ensure the protection of all religious communities and to restore the canonical unity of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church;
3. Support independent investigations into attacks on places of worship;
4. Include the protection of religious heritage in any diplomatic engagement with Ethiopia.

The faith and culture of millions of people is being deliberately targeted. The international community must not remain silent.

Yours faithfully,

Federation of Amhara Associations in Europe