It is with great sadness that the Standing Conference of the Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCh) has received the news of the repose of His Holiness Abune Antonios I on February 9, 2022. His Holiness passed away a martyr and a witness for Christ while still under a state of imprisonment, as he had been for the past sixteen years.
The Standing Conference conveys its sincere condolences to the Canonical Eritrean Orthodox Churches in Diaspora, and to the bishop overseeing them, His Grace Bishop Makarios, and to all the clergy and the laity serving under him, as well as to all of those who stood by His Holiness during his prolonged period of witnessing for Christ and commemorated his name in the Holy Liturgy, and to the people of Eritrea.
May the Lord guide his flock and may He provide a shepherd after His own heart to pastor the people.