INTRODUCTION
It is always interesting to know more about one's country and one's religious background. This is why I have been motivated to briefly prese the Modern and Contemporary History of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia which covers the period of history between is" and zo" centuries. In my book, I have tried to present not only the religious history but also the over all socio-political situation of Ethiopia throughout its long history.
This book is divided into four chapters. The first chapter deals with the over-all socio-political and religious history of Ethiopia from the early Christian era until the zo" century. In this chapter, various Catholic missionary efforts in Ethiopia, particularly between the 16th and 20th centuries, have been elaborated upon.
The second chapter of this book deals with various activities of Msgr. Andre Jarosseau, who was one of the most prominent figures of the history of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia and one who endeavored to do a lot for the expansion and the consolidation of the Catholic Church throughout Ethiopia during the first four decades of the 20th century. The figure of Msgr. Pascal Luchon, who was the Apostolic Prefect of Djibouti and the founder of the Catholic Missions in the Region of the Great Lakes, namely, Gural Kambata-Hadiya and Wolayta, is also highlighted.
The third chapter of this book deals with the epoch of the Italian Occupation of Ethiopia, whereby many Italian missionaries, prominently Capuchin missionaries, were sent to promote the Catholic mission in Ethiopia. In this chapter, I have also highlighted the restructuring of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions in the country.
The fourth chapter of this book deals with the difficult situation that the serving in the Catholic missions in Ethiopia found themselves in at the end of the Italian Occupation of Ethiopia. The role of Msgr. Castelfani, the Apostolic Delegate of Ethiopia and Apostolic Vicar of Addis Ababa, who tried his best with his vigorious diplomatic activities with the Ethiopia Govermnent and British Military Authorities to save at least some Italiannmissionanes and nuns from being evacuated from Ethiopia is also well described. In this chapter, Msgr. Castellani's efforts to invite Ethiopian priests from Eritrea as well as non-Italian missionaries from other countries is also detailed. Here, the role of Msgr. Kidanemariam Kasa, Bishop of Asmara and Regent Apostolic Delegate of Ethiopia, has also been presented.
This chapter also deals with the coming of Msgr. Theodore Monnens,Special Envoy of the Holy See to Ethiopia, and the Episcopal nomination of Msgr. Hailemariam Kahsay, Exarch of Addis Ababa (later Eparch of Adigrat). and Msgr. Jacob Gebreyesus, Bishop of Asmara.
The fifth chapter of this book deals with the coming of the Capuchin missionaries of Paris. The prominent figure of Msgr. Person, Vicar Apostolic of Harar and Apostolic Administrator of the whole of the Latin Rite territory of Ethiopia, and also his companion Capuchin missionaries are well described. The role of Msgr. Person, who succeeded in interesting
various groups of religious congregations to enter Ethiopia as missionaries and contributed to the Catholic evangelization endeavors in the country, is also highlighted in this chapter.
The major unpublished sources of this book are primarily documents from: the General Archives of the Capuchin Order in Rome and the Archives of the Capuchin Provinces of Torino, Genova, Trento, Parma, Rome, Venice, and Paris.
For the presentation of this book, I have applied an historic and objective descriptive method based on first-hand documents from credible ecclesiastical archives in Ethiopia and in Europe.
The novelty of this book is its bringing to light together the rrussionary efforts of various religious congregations which have tried their best to collaborate for the common objectives of evangelization of those who were socio-welfare and pastoral activities, to also promote peace, justice and wholistic human development among the Ethiopians. |
