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Addis Ababa (AFP) – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has overseen the reunification of feuding wings of the world's first Christian churches, his top aide said Friday.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church Tewahedo split in 1991 over the naming of a new patriarch after the Ethiopian People's Democratic Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) removed the Derg military junta from power.
The patriarch Abuna Merkorios, seen as hostile to the new regime, was forced to abdicate and later escaped the country to settle in the United States.
There, where dissidents founded a breakaway church under him, claiming his ouster violated rules that say the role of patriarch is held for life
Talks between the two synods have been going on for years. Abiy, a reformist new first, is credited with speeding up the peace process, which culminated on Thursday in his maiden visit to the United States.
Abiy oversaw reunification ceremony in Washington, attended by priests in black flowing and red dresses,
"After significant mediation efforts, PM Abiy witnessed in DC the reunification of the 2 Synods of the Orthodox Church. 2 Synods are reunited in one Holy Synod after 27 years , "his chief of staff Fitsum Arega wrote on Twitter.
According to Orthodox Church news, Merkorios" will return to the holy land of Ethiopia with the rank and dignity of Patriarch, and resume the patriarchal throne. "
Meanwhile the resident Ethiopian patriarch, Abuna Mathias," will lead the church by carrying out administrative duties. "
Both their names will be mentioned in prayers and as long both are alive "our holy Church will look their patriarchal honor as equal."
The Holy Synod of gratitude to Abiy for his work to "restore peace in the country and the unity of the Orthodox Church."
– ' A historic jump '-
Tracing its roots back to the fourth century, the Orthodox Church is Ethiopia's largest, gathering 38 million people, according to the World Council of Churches.
The country is also home to a Muslim minority A growing protestant population that includes the prime minister.
"While noting that the reconciliation event marks a historic jump, the Prime Minister emphasized that this overdue," the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said. Office of the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has gained priority over the past 26 years.
He has released many dissidents from Ethiopian jails, and some
Earlier this week, he called for "multi-party democracy," a stunning shift for the EPRDF which has been in force since 1991 and holds all in all.
He also opened the doors to reconciliation with Eritrea
The visit to the US is set to be something of a charm offensive for Abiy.
After his arrival in Washington, Reuben E. Brigety II, to form American ambbadador to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, tweeting a photo showing the prime minister smiling and holding hands with a lone protest who greeted him outside the Ethiopian embbady.
He is also visiting diaspora communities in Los Angeles and the state of Minnesota in a visit to the Ethiopian government "Tear down barriers, and build bridges!"
Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live in the US, among the many journalists and politicians who ha ve fallen out with the EPRDF.
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