CONFERENCE OF
ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES
..... It is with the hope that your meeting will
contribute in a significant way to the unity of the Church, and indirectly to
the unity of all men, that We have invited Your Holinesses and Venerable
Fathers to our capital city.
Venerable and Holy Fathers,
On this occasion when you Venerable Heads
of the Oriental Orthodox Churches are assembled together in our capital city,
it is appropriate to demonstrate our joy by singing with the Psalmist,
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity" (Ps. 133:1).
The Unity of the Church, as Your
Holinesses well know it, is the will of God and ought to be an inspiring
example to all men. It should always be a help and not a hindrance to the unity
of men of different religions.
As church history testifies, the church
fathers, from the Apostolic period up to the Third Council (4th century A.D.),
did hold Councils to formulate the doctrines of the church and to draft rules
of church administration.
It is with the hope that your meeting will
contribute in a significant way to the unity of the Church, and indirectly to
the unity of all men, that We have invited Your Holinesses and Venerable
Fathers to our capital city.
Today not only the church, but also the
political powers of the world are frequently meeting, leaving their differences
aside, to tackle common problems, and find ways and means for the achievement
and preservation of world peace. The church should not overlook this great task
because she is the origin of peace and fraternity.
Our own Church is
as ancient as our faith, and her history is replete with accounts of the
unswerving faith of our people, the inspiring heroism of our martyrs, the
Holiness of our saints. The history of our nation has always been closely
related to the history of our Church, and the Church has been both the rallying
point and the inspirer of our national unity.
Christianity has flourished in Our
country, keeping its original features and character through the centuries. As
a nation we have a great debt to the church for our cultural heritage.
Ethiopia has been from ancient times well
known for her hospitality, and this is not the first time she has welcomed holy
fathers like yourselves. From the 4th century A.D. onward monks and saints have
come from Egypt, Syria and other Christian countries to Ethiopia and have been
received with high honour and great respect. To mention only a few among those
who are canonized in the Ethiopian church the Nine Saints who came from
different countries of the Middle East and Abune Gebre-Menfus-Kidus are
examples. These holy fathers, preaching and establishing monasteries in various
parts of Our country have greatly contributed to Ethiopian Christianity.
Therefore, many churches and monasteries are dedicated to them in undying
memory of the spiritual services which they rendered to our country.
Ancient Ties
In ancient times,
when the Faith of the whole Church was one, Our country had the closest
relations with the Emperors of Christian Byzantium. At the time when several
Christian peoples in the North became subservient to non- Christian powers, our
country gladly provided asylum to thousands of Christian refugees. It had
equally given asylum from religious persecution at an earlier date to the
followers of the founder of Islam. Only when our own immediate neighbours
ceased to be Christians did our contacts with our fellow-Christians in the
North and East become difficult to maintain.
Ethiopia, an island of Christianity, has
made her own distinctive contribution to the Christian faith; for, ever since
her conversion to Christianity she has remained faithful, her age-old ties with
the Apostolic church uninterrupted. For this reason she is universally renowned
as the faithful daughter of St. Mark of Alexandria. The opportunity we have
today to discuss our common interests and problems together is the fruit of
that ancient unity. To defend the faith and to preserve our ancient ties with
your respective countries, our fathers the Emperors of Ethiopia and the
Ethiopian people have exerted great efforts all through our history. We are
grateful to all of them.
It is therefore with great joy that We
welcome Your Holinesses to Our land and to Our Church. Your Holinesses bring with
you sacred memories from the ancient past. Your presence here is a pledge and token
of the desire of all Christians to be one.
Ever since We
ascended the historic throne of Ethiopia, We have considered it Our duty to
call for a meeting of the churches who belong to the same fold. We were praying
to God for His help in achieving this holy purpose, so that He may grant it to
us to see this event. In ancient times the Byzantine emperors used to summon
the councils. Our sincere wish from the very beginning was to see these
churches meeting to discuss their common interests and decide on their common
problems. This wish is in actual fact fulfilled today, and We are happy to
witness it. Therefore, We thank Almighty God first because He has enabled Us to
properly fulfil Our clear duty, and secondly, because Our long cherished desire
has now met with fulfilment. Henceforth the matter will demand the spiritual
unity and hard work of Your Holinesses. For strength can be achieved through
unity, and success is the fruit of co-operation. There is no doubt that work
done through a co-operative spirit shall meet with success. Christ affirmed:
“… That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching
anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my father which is
in heaven.” (Math. 18:19)
Restore Contact
For centuries past our Orthodox Churches
have been without contact. Perhaps that which still divides the two groups is a
matter of some importance. Perhaps it is not. In any case, we live in a time
when even political differences are discussed around the conference table and
peaceful and amicable solutions sought by all. The Church can afford to do no
less.
Our age is characterized by notable
advances in the sphere of communications, and is therefore rightly termed an
age of unity and of coming together. In this connection We recall the noble
efforts of Archbishop Nathan Soderblom of Sweden who took the initiative for
the “Universal Christian Conference” which met in Stockholm as long ago as
1925. We have also followed with keen interest the deliberations of the
Ecumenical Council held last November in Vatican City under the spiritual
leadership of Pope Paul the Sixth of Rome.
This Conference may not be able to come to
final conclusions here and now. Yet it behoves the leaders of the Churches to
begin to seek ways and means of reconciliation and collaboration.
Seek Unity, Peace
As noted in your agenda, you are to consider the problem
of peace, because the world today is facing a great dilemma: the catastrophical
weapons which are the result of human ingenuity, menace the world to the point
of annihilation, and the human race is more than ever in need of the prayers
and support of the Church.
In this fact we have another ground for
co-operation with all the Churches of the world. As the followers of Christ let
us not forget how often our cause has suffered through disunity.
We would like to refer in conclusion to
the question of social welfare in the modern world. For a country can achieve
much more in this field if supported by the church. The will of God will be
realized and humanity can achieve progress in both the spiritual and material
fields in a healthy society.
We consider it a great blessing to Us and
to Our people that Your Holinesses have come to bless our land with your sacred
presence. Our people and Our Church rejoice to welcome Your Holinesses in our
midst.
Holy Fathers, descendants of the Apostles of Christ you have
an eminent responsibility, which responsibility would include the improvement
of the relations of laity with clergy and of church with society.
We hope and trust that God will guide the
discussions here according to His will and that His power will assist Your
Holinesses in finding common solutions to common problems in the spirit of
amity and concord. May God who helped the 318 Fathers of the council of Nicea
enlighten and help us all.
Jan. 15, 1965.
Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie
– page 635 –
The opening speech of the 1965 Addis Ababa conference by His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie
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