| Patriarch ofEthiopia | |
|---|---|
| የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋህዶ ቤተክርስቲያን ፓትሪያርክ | |
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| Style | His Beatitude/His Holiness |
| Residence | Addis Ababa,Ethiopia |
| Formation | 1959 |
| First holder | Abuna Basilios, First Patriarch of Ethiopia |
| Website | www |
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Abuna (orAbune, which is thestatus constructus form used when a name follows:Ge'ez አቡነabuna/abune, 'our father';Amharic andTigrinya) is the honorific title used for any bishop of theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as well as of theEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. It was historically used solely for the head of theCoptic Orthodox Church in Ethiopia during the more than 1000 years when theCoptic Patriarchate of Alexandria appointed only one bishop at a time to serve its Ethiopian flock. When referred to without a name following, it isAbun, and if a name follows, it becomesAbuna (e.g.,Abuna Paulos).
Historically the Abun of the Ethiopian Church was appointed by thePope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, who had diocesan authority overEthiopia and the rest of Africa, at the request of the Emperor and, in historic times, after paying a substantial fee to the Muslim government for the privilege. The Abun would be selected from the membership of theMonastery of Saint Anthony. Although several Abuns might be appointed at one time, a request in 1140 to appoint enough to consecrate a metropolitan was refused.[1]
The candidate frequently lacked knowledge of the native language and even the local customs of the Ethiopian church. As a result, most Abuns had a minimal influence on both Ethiopian religion and politics. His authority eventually was filled in ecclesiastical matters by theIchege or Abbot of the Monastery ofDebre Libanos in Shewa, the sole possessor of this particular title in Ethiopia. (This title is now customarily held by the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.)
Visitors to Ethiopia at this time, such asFrancisco Álvares in the 16th century,[2] andRemedius Prutky in the 18th century,[3] were amazed at the mass ordination ofdeacons andpriests with little more than a wave of the cross and a prayer, which was theAbun's principal duty.
After many centuries, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, the last reigning Oriental Christian monarch in the world, reached an agreement with the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt, on 13 July 1948. This led to the promotion of the Church of Ethiopia to the rank of anautocephalousPatriarchate. Five bishops were immediately consecrated by the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria. They later elected an Ethiopian patriarch for their church following the death ofAbuna Qerellos IV, the last Copt to lead the Church of Ethiopia.[4] The first Patriarch of Ethiopia wasAbuna Basilios, who was consecrated 14 January 1951.
The current Patriarch of Ethiopia isAbune Mathias, who succeededAbune Paulos upon his death August 16, 2012.
Abuna (Syriac: ܐܒܘܢܐAbuna,Arabic:أبوناʾabūnā, literally 'our father') is also a title used amongSyriac Christians,Coptic Christians,Antiochian Arab Christians,Melkite Catholics, andMaronite Christians to refer to apriest. The title is used either by itself or with the priest's given name (for example, 'Abuna Tauma' for 'Father Thomas'). This title is not used in self-reference, rather the priest would refer to himself asal-Ab (الأبal-ʾAb, literally 'the father').
