Ethiopian Bishop says Acts of Mercy begin within the family

Bishop Tesfassilessie, the Eparch of Adigrat Eparchy has called on the Catholic faithful in Ethiopia to begin acts of Mercy within their families. He said that the Church in Ethiopia and particularly the Eparchy of Adigrat will be encouraging separated married couples to sort out their differences and reconcile during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

“The Extraordinary Jubilee year of Mercy give us the opportunity to stand back and evaluate our lives in terms of how merciful we have been towards others. It is a time we can indeed practice being merciful like the Father, whom we ask to be Merciful towards us,” he said.

Bishop Tesfassilassie said that the Eparchy of Adigrat has already drawn a plan of action for the year and prepared a booklet in the local language Tigrigna to be distributed among the faithful to guide the activities for the year of Mercy. The Door of Mercy has also been opened at the Holy Savior Catholic Cathedral in the town of Adigrat and it will be open to the faithful throughout the year in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Father Pope Francis.

According to the Eparch of Adigrat pilgrims and other spiritual activities will be organised for the faithful as a community and at the same time the Church will also encourage the faithful to practice engaging in Corporal and Spiritual Acts of Mercy throughout the year. He said practicing such acts of Mercy in this Jubilee year will encourage the people to make Corporal and Spiritual Acts of Mercy part of their lives even long after the year of Mercy ends.

Bishop Tesfassilassie called on the faithful to look at the year of Mercy as a time of spiritual renewal.

The Eparchy of Adigrat consists of the Tigray and Afar Regional States in the Northern part of Ethiopia where a significant number of Catholic faithful are present.

(Makeda Yohannes in Addis Ababa)