Ethiopia’s Catholic bishops urged the nation’s leaders to use dialogue instead of war to resolve problems, noting that “it is the most vulnerable — particularly children, women, the elderly and the sick — who suffer the most during times of conflict.”
They also urged all Ethiopians to pray the rosary for peace in their country.
“The path of war exacerbates problems rather than resolving them; furthermore, it leaves behind the loss of precious human life, horrific destruction of property, and deep-seated resentment and vengeance that persist across generations,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia said in a statement 1 October, the day Ethiopia and Eritrea severed ties.
Ethiopia’s central government claims Eritrea is backing an armed alliance of seven groups trying to overthrow Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The two sides renewed fighting in late September. Eritrea denies it is backing the rebels.
From 2020 to 2022, Ethiopia’s federal troops and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (T.P.L.F.) fought a war that left an estimated 162,000 to 378,000 people dead and up to 10,000 people injured by sexual violence. Although the sides struck a peace deal in 2022, ongoing effects of the conflict, as well as drought, inflation and reductions in international aid, have increased the burden on vulnerable Ethiopians, especially women and children.
The bishops, whose conference includes Catholic bishops of the Ethiopian (or Ge’ez) and Roman Catholic churches, said a lasting peace “benefits all parties and our entire people; it is a path consistent with the spirit of the Gospel and the only alternative pleasing to God. Above all, our church urges all parties to open their hearts to forgiveness and reconciliation for the sake of lasting peace in our country and among our people, thereby renewing the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood.”
They noted Pope Leo XIV’s prayer for peace in Ethiopia, which includes the Afar and Amhara regions that border Tigray.
The bishops urged people to pray the Prayer of St. Francis for peace, especially since October marks the 800th anniversary of his death. They also urged people to pray the rosary for peace during October, a month dedicated to the rosary, noting that in Ethiopia, the dedication to the rosary extends to 14 November.
“Through this call to prayer, we humbly urge everyone to work for peace in their own respective ways, persevering tirelessly in spiritual struggle and prayer, so that enduring peace and the love of brotherhood and sisterhood may fully descend upon our country and its people,” the bishops said.
In early October, T.P.L.F. forces withdrew from Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region, and Ethiopian soldiers retook the city. Communications were restored within the region, and the Associated Press reported federal forces had retaken the regional capital’s airport.