Department for External Church Relations
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Primate of the Church of Eritrea dies.
DECR Communication service, 03.12.2022.
On 2nd December 2022, aged ninety-four, the Primate of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church His Holiness Patriarch Abune Qerlos reposed in the Eritrean capital Asmara.
The late Patriarch Abune Qerlos (Kerilos Tehadev Haile Mariam before monasticism) was born in 1928 on the territory of contemporary Eritrea to a Christian family. He received his education in a traditional Eritrean seminary.
He became a monk, a deacon and a priest when still a young man. In 1994 he was consecrated bishop by the Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III. From 1994 to 2021 he was the administrator of the diocese of Addi Keyh in central Eritrea, and in 2004 he was made an archbishop.
On 13th May 2021 he was elected to the Patriarchal Throne. His enthronement took place in Asmara on 13th June of the same year.
Patriarch Abune Qerlos paid particular attention to issues concerning both the inner and external life of the Eritrean Church. During his time as Patriarch, the relationship of the Eritrean Church with the ancient Oriental Church, primarily the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches, underwent a revival. The Eritrean Church also took an active part in the work of important inter-Christian forums, including the World Council of Churches. Bilateral contacts between the Church of Eritrea and the Moscow Patriarchate also began to develop.
Patriarch
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