His Holiness
Abune

Antonios
Patriarch of the
Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church
ChurchEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Appointed23 April 2004
PredecessorYacob
SuccessorDioskoros (disputed)
Orders
Ordination1943
Personal details
Born(1929-07-11)11 July 1929
Hembrti, Hamasien, Italian Eritrea
Died9 February 2022(2022-02-09) (aged 92)
Asmara, Eritrea
DenominationEritrean Orthodox
Previous post(s)Abbot of Debre Tsege Abuna Endrias monastery

Abune Antonios (Tigrinya: ኣቡነ ኣንጦንዮስ; 11 July 1929 – 9 February 2022) was the third Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He was illegally and forcefully deposed by the Eritrean government in 2006,[1][2] and was placed under house arrest thereafter.[3]

Ecclesiastical career

Antonios was born on 11 July 1929 in the town of Hembrti,[4] north of Asmara in the province of Hamasien. He was ordained priest in 1943 and later elected Abbot in 1955. When the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church sought autocephaly, he was one of five abbots of monasteries that went to Egypt to be ordained as bishops so that the church would have its own Holy Synod. He was ordained as Bishop Antonios of Hamasien-Asmara on 19 June 1994 in Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Cairo, by Shenouda III, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Following the death of Yacob in 2003, he was elected Patriarch in popular elections which were unanimously endorsed by the Holy Synod of the church. His ordination and enthronement as Patriarch took place on 23 April 2004 in Asmara, at the hands of Pope Shenouda III, assisted by Eritrean and Coptic Orthodox Metropolitans and Bishops. He was the first Patriarch of Eritrea to have been enthroned who had not previously been a bishop in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Removal from church

In January 2005, the Patriarch's annual Nativity message was not broadcast or televised. On 27 May 2007, he was replaced as Patriarch by Dioskoros, with the support of the Eritrean government. Antonios remained under house arrest[2][3] and strict surveillance and held without charge. He reportedly seldom received visitors, including relatives, and had no telephone service. Since 2007, Antonios had been considered by the United States to be a religious prisoner of conscience.[4] His removal at the behest of the Eritrean government was denounced by the other Oriental Orthodox Churches, who refused to recognize Dioskoros as Patriarch of Eritrea.[5]

In July 2019, in an unprecedented move, bishops of the Holy Synod of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church excommunicated[6] Antonios for heresy.[7][6] The letter from five of the six most senior Eritrean bishops declared that "His name should never be mentioned and remembered and those who do so will be punished severely." Although the patriarch was expelled from being a member of the church, the bishops promised he could still live in a church building. The president of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches condemned the excommunication.[6]

He died while in detention in Asmara, Eritrea, on 9 February 2022 at the age of 93.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Plaut, Martin (28 June 2007). "Christians protest over Eritrea". BBC News. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Orthodox patriarch of Eritrea sacked - Culture". Middle East Times. 29 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 Cooke, Rachel (16 July 2017). "Radio Erena: a beacon of hope for Eritrea". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Patriarch Abune Antonios". USCIRF. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Eritrea Hides Ex-Orthodox Head from U.S. Officials". Christian Post. 30 January 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Bishop David (23 July 2019). "Letter to the Eritrean Church". Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (published 1 August 2019). Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Former church leader expelled for 'heresy'". BBC. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church Abune Anotnios passes away". Radio Erena. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Nzwili, Fredrick (29 December 2022). "Eritrean authorities free Catholic bishop held 75 days in prison". Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
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