Pope's condolence for death of head of Ethiopian Orthodox Church

(August 17, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his sorrow over the death of the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Abune Paulos. The 76 year old spiritual leader of Ethiopia’s 40-million strong Orthodox Tewahedo Church died on Thursday, in a hospital in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. In a message, the Pope expressed his “heartfelt condolences to the members of the Holy Synod, and to the clergy, religious and faithful of the Patriarchate.” He fondly recalled Patriarch Paulos’ “visits to the Vatican, and in particular the address he delivered to the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops on 6 October 2009 and the important observations he made on that occasion.” The Pope expressed his gratitude for the late patriarch’s “firm commitment to promoting greater unity through dialogue and cooperation between the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.” Patriarch Abune Paulos was chosen in 1992 to lead Ethiopia's Orthodox Church which earlier used to be part of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church, but got its own patriarch in 1959. Condolence messages for Patriarch Paulos’ death have also arrived from other Christian Church leaders.