November 19, 2025
“Thus saith the Lord: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rahel, weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were no more.’” (Jeremiah 31:15)
The Bishops of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCh) were deeply saddened to learn of a renewed series of coordinated attacks visited upon the faithful Orthodox Christians living in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, which began late last month and which continues to the present day. Reports indicate that more than thirty people have been killed and many more have been maimed, mutilated, and grievously injured including men, women, and small children. Churches, monasteries, and Orthodox Christian communities have been systematically singled out for violence and destruction. These latest attacks are part of a larger program of persecution throughout Ethiopia which has claimed the lives of hundreds of Orthodox Christians in recent years.
We offer our earnest prayers for the souls of the of the faithful Orthodox Christian Martyrs of Ethiopia who have been cruelly massacred by the agents of evil throughout the nation, and for the full and speedy recovery of the many more who have endured persecution and brutalization for their Orthodox Christian Faith in these indefensible and cowardly attacks. May God repose the departed in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, grant mercy and healing to the wounded, and comfort to their families. We further add our voices to those of Our Beloved Father, His Holiness Abune Mathias I, Patriarch and Catholicos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, to the Holy Synod of Ethiopia, and to all calling for peace and an end to this monstrous barbarity. We also pray that all peace-loving nations, religious institutions, and moral leaders will stand together in condemning this criminal act.
DAVID, BISHOP
COPTIC ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND
PRESIDENT OF THE STANDING CONFERENCE OF ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES
DIONYSIOS JOHN KAWAK, ARCHBISHOP (Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of the Eastern USA)
TITUS YELDHO, ARCHBISHOP (Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church)
SILVANOS AYUB, ARCHBISHOP (Knanaya Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church)
MESROP PARSAMYAN, BISHOP AND PRIMATE (Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church)
VICKEN AYKAZIAN, ARCHBISHOP (Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church)
PETROS, ARCHBISHOP (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Archdiocese of New York)
MAKARIOS, BISHOP (Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church Diocese of North America)
SINODA, BISHOP (Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church Diocese of North America)
