Orthodox Church head completes apostolic visit to Ethiopia

Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church was the chief guest at the historic Meskel Festival of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Addis Ababa.

According to an official statement, the visit was made at the invitation of Abune Mathias I, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Patriarch of Ethiopia. The two Church heads jointly led the religious services held as part of the Meskel celebrations.

In his message, the Catholicos said that while India and Ethiopia were geographically distant, the two Churches shared close spiritual ties. The Ethiopian and Indian Orthodox Churches, as sister Churches of the Oriental Orthodox family, shared a spiritual heritage rooted in apostolic faith, prayer and the Cross of Christ, he said.