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This is a list of the abunas of Ethiopia, the spiritual heads of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Abuna of Ethiopia is known officially as His Holiness Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum and Ichege of the See of St. Tekle Haymanot. The current Abuna, Mathias, acceded to this position on 28 February 2013.[1]
 |
Abuna of Ethiopia | |
|---|---|
| Bishopric | |
| oriental | |
| |
| Incumbent: Mathias Since 28 February 2013 | |
| Style | His Holiness |
| Information | |
| First holder | St. Frumentius (Bishop) Basilios (Patriarch) |
| Established | c. 350 (Foundation) 1959 (Autocephaly) |
| Cathedral | Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa |
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, and it was granted autocephaly by Cyril VI, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, in 1959.
| Portrait | Abuna (Birth–Death) |
Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Abune Selama I Kesatay Birhan (St. Frumentius) (Died c. 383) |
c. 350–383 | Brought Christianity to the Kingdom of Aksum.[2] |
| Minas or Elyas[3] | |||
| Abreham | Late 4th century – early 5th century | ||
| Petros | |||
| Abba Aftse | Late 5th century – early 6th century | ||
| Qozmos | fl. early 6th century | ||
| Euprepius | fl. early 6th century | ||
| Seat vacant c. 537–562[4] | |||
| Portrait | Abuna (Birth–Death) |
Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qerellos | 620s – mid 7th century | ||
| unknown | |||
| Yohannes | c. 820–840 | ||
| Yaqob I | fl. mid 9th century | ||
| Salama Za-'Azeb | fl. 9th century | ||
| Bartalomewos | fl. 10th century | ||
| Peter | 920s | Opposed by Minas and Fiqtor. | |
| Seat vacant c. 940–970s | |||
| Daniel | fl. late 10th century | ||
| Fiqtor | fl. 11th century | ||
| 'Abdun | Claimant. | ||
| Sawiros | 1077–1092 | ||
| Giyorgis I | fl. 1090s | ||
| Mikael I | fl. early–mid 12th century | ||
| Yaqob II | |||
| Gabra Krestos | |||
| Atnatewos | fl. late 12th century | ||
| Mikael II | 1206–1209 | Opposed by Hirun. | |
| Yeshaq | c. 1209–1225 | ||
| Giyorgis II | c. 1225 | ||
 |
St. Tekle Haymanot | c. 13th century | According to tradition. |
| Yohannes (XIII?) | fl. 14th century | ||
| Yaqob (III?) | c. 1337–1344 | ||
| Seat vacant 1344–1348 | |||
| Salama II | 1348–1388 | ||
| Seat vacant 1388–1398/9 | |||
| Bartalomewos | 1398/9–1436 | ||
| Mikael and Gabriel | 1438–1458 | ||
| Seat vacant 1458–1481 | |||
| Yeshaq | 1481–c. 1520 | ||
| Marqos (VI?) | 1481–c. 1530 | ||
| João Bermudes | c. 1536–c. 1545 | Self-proclaimed Ethiopian Orthodox Abuna, and Catholic Patriarch of Ethiopia and Alexandria. | |
| Endyras | c. 1545–? | ||
 |
Andrés de Oviedo (1518–1577) |
1557–1577 | Catholic bishop. |
| Marqos (VII?) | c. 1565 | ||
| Krestodolos I | c. 1590 | ||
| Petros (VI?) | 1599?–1607 | Killed in battle. | |
| Simon (Died 1624) |
1608–1617 | ||
 |
Afonso Mendes (1579–1659) |
1622–1632 | Catholic Patriarch, supported by Susenyos I and deposed by Fasilides. |
| Seat vacant 1632–1633 | |||
| Rezek | c. 1634 | ||
| Marqos (VIII?) | c. 1635–1672 | Deposed with Krestodolos. | |
| Krestodolos II | c. 1640–1672 | Deposed with Marqos. | |
| Sinoda | 1672–1687 | ||
| Seat vacant 1687–1689 | |||
| Marqos (IX ?) | 1689–late 17th century | ||
| Abba Mikael | 1640–1699 | ||
| Marqos X | 1694–1716 | ||
| Seat vacant 1716–1718 | |||
| Krestodolos III | c. 1718–1745 | ||
| Seat vacant 1745–c. 1747 | |||
| Yohannes XIV | c. 1747–1770 | ||
| Yosab III | 1770–1803 | ||
| Seat vacant 1803–c. 1808 | |||
| Makarios | fl. c. 1808 | ||
| Seat vacant c. 1808–1816 | |||
| Qerellos III | 1816–1829 | ||
| Seat vacant 1829–1841 | |||
 |
Salama III (Died 1867) |
1841–1867 | |
| Seat vacant 1867–1868 | |||
| Atnatewos II (Died 1876) |
1868–1876 | Died of wounds received at the Battle of Gura in the Egyptian–Ethiopian War. | |
| Petros VII (Died 1918) |
1876–1889 | ||
 |
Mattheos X (1843–1926) |
1889–1926 | |
 |
Qerellos IV (c. 1880–1950) |
1926–1936 | First tenure; deposed following the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. |
 |
Abraham | 1937–1939 | Installed during the Italian occupation. |
| Yohannes XV | 1939–1945 | ||
|
Qerellos IV (c. 1880–1950) |
1945–1950 | Second tenure; restored. |
| Basilios (1891–1970) |
1951–1959 | Elevated to Patriarch and Catholicos of All Ethiopia. | |
On 13 July 1948, the Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian churches reached an agreement that led to the elevation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church to the rank of an Autonomous Church; allowing the Archbishop of All Ethiopia to consecrate on his own bishops and metropolitans for the Ethiopian Church and to form a local Holy Synod. The Archbishop, however, is consecrated by the Pope of Alexandria along with the members of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
| No. | Portrait | Abuna (Birth–Death) |
Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basilios (1891–1970) |
1959–1970 | Reigned during the 1960 Ethiopian coup attempt and the 1965 Conference of Addis Ababa. Born in Mada Mikael as Gebre Giyorgis Wolde Tsadik | |
| 2 | Theophilos (1910–1979) |
1971–1976 | Confirmed by the Emperor after his election.[5] Deposed and arrested by the Derg;[6][7] executed by strangling in 1979.[8] Born in Debre Elias as Meliktu Jenbere | |
| 3 | Takla Haymanot (1918–1988) |
1976–1988 | Met Pope John Paul II in 1981, in the first such meeting in modern times.[9] Born in Begemder as Melaku Wolde Mikael | |
| 4 | Merkorios (1938–2022) |
1988–2022 | Deposed by the EPRDF, which claimed that he willingly abdicated. Headed the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Exile from 1991 to 2018.[10] Entered into dual patriarch arrangement alongside Abune Mathias from 2018 to 2022. Born in Begemder as Ze-Libanos Fanta | |
| 5 |  |
Paulos (1936–2012) |
1992–2012 | Reign disputed by followers of Abune Merkorios. Born in Adwa as Gebremedhin Woldeyohannes |
| 6 | |
Mathias (born 1941) [11] |
2013–present | Reign disputed by followers of Abune Merkorios until 2018.[12][13][10] Entered into dual patriarch arrangement alongside Abune Merkorios from 2018 to 2022. Born in Agame as Teklemariam Asrat |
In 1959, the Coptic Orthodox Church granted autocephaly to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and elevated the Archbishop to the Patriarchal dignity and was enthroned with the title of: Patriarch and Re'ese Liqane Papasat Echege (Catholicos) of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The title of Ichege (Supreme Abbot) of the See of St. Tekle Haymanot of Debre Libanos was subsumed into the Patriarchate. The title of Ichege was revived and the title of Archbishop of Axum was added to the Patriarchal titles in 2005, as Axum was the seat of Ethiopia's first Bishop, St. Frumentius, and thus the oldest see in the church.
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