He was imprisoned while a priest by the Communist government of Ethiopia in 1979–80. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, he directed the order's novitiate in the mid-1980s and was provincial superior from 1990 to 1994. He served as auxiliary bishop of Addis Abeda for 18 months before becoming archbishop.
Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel was born on 14 July 1948 in Tchela Claka, near Harar in Ethiopia. He first attended public schools and those run by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and then others run by the Capuchins and the De La Salle Brothers. He entered the minor seminary of the Congregation of the Mission (known as "Lazarists" or "Vincentians") in 1963.[1] He studied at the Makanissa Major Seminary beginning in 1968. He studied theology at King's College London and was ordained a Catholic priest on 4 July 1976.[2]
He fulfilled parish assignments in southwestern Ethiopia until, in June 1979, he was jailed by Ethiopia's military dictatorship for seven months, including one month in solitary confinement.[1][3][4] When the government expelled foreign missionaries, he was left with responsibility for 15 parishes in addition to his original assignment.[3] When sent into exile himself, he earned a degree in sociology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.[2] He returned to Ethiopia in 1983.
In 2005, he established the Ethiopian Catholic University of St. Thomas Aquinas.[6] He has served as its chancellor and toured the United States to raise funds through an organization founded by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, a veteran Vatican diplomat.[7]
In December 2008, he was one of a dozen Ethiopian religious figures who adopted a resolution that called homosexuality "an infestation", and urged Ethiopian lawmakers to extend the country's criminalization of homosexual activity to the constitution.[6][8]
On 4 January 2015, Pope Francis announced that he would make him a cardinal on 14 February.[9] At that ceremony, he was made a cardinal priest and was assigned the titular church of San Romano Martire.[10]
In 2015, as part of a long campaign for national reconciliation following the end of the military council's authoritarian rule (1974–1987), he advocated for imprisoned Derg officials to have their death sentences commuted, and he met with several of them, including one who had arrested him years earlier, upon their release from prison.[12] He has served as head of the Ethiopian Peace and Reconciliation Commission.[4]
In advance of the Synod on the Amazon, he said he viewed the question of married priests as secondary to more critical issues: "the Amazon is the lung of the world — and it was burning — and what action was being taken? And the indigenous people who are living there, what right have they been given by the nine countries which surround the Amazon? Did they get educational opportunities? Health opportunities? Opportunities to preserve their traditional values?"[4]
^ ab"Ethiopia's Cardinal Souraphiel brings African family values to the college of cardinals". Catholic News Agency. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^ abcd"Nomina dell'Arcivescovo Metropolita di Addis Abeba (Etiopia)". Daily Bulletin (in Italian). Rome: Holy See Press Office. 7 July 1999. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
^ abBrown, Lauretta (22 October 2019). "Ethiopian Cardinal Discusses Hope of Peace and What He Learned From St. John Paul II". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^ abc"Ethiopian Cardinal Discusses Peacebuilding and Reconciliation". Catholic University of America. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^ "Souraphiel Card. Berhaneyesus Demerew, C.M." Holy See Press Office. from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^ abMcDermott, Jim (13 February 2015). "'Go forth and preach the Gospel,' Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia". America. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^McElwee, Joshua J. (1 November 2013). "Ethiopian archbishop: Vatican should be credible moral source in the world". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^"2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Ethiopia". Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. 25 February 2009.
^"Annuncio di Concistoro per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali". NEWS.VA Official Vatican Network. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
^"Consistory: list of titular church assignments". Vatican Radio. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
^"Rinunce e nomine, 13.04.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^"Ethiopian Cardinal Welcomes Man who Jailed him". Caritas Internationalis. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
External links
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"Souraphiel Card. Berhaneyesus Demerew, C.M." Holy See Press Office. from the original on 4 September 2017.
berhaneyesus, demerew, souraphiel, born, july, 1948, ethiopian, prelate, ethiopian, catholic, church, which, headed, since, election, ethiopian, catholic, archbishop, addis, abeba, 1999, also, chancellor, catholic, university, eastern, africa, president, catho. Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel CM born 14 July 1948 is an Ethiopian prelate of the Ethiopian Catholic Church which he has headed since his election as Ethiopian Catholic Archbishop of Addis Abeba in 1999 He is also the chancellor of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia and Eritrea He was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015 His EminenceBerhaneyesus Demerew SouraphielC M Cardinal Archbishop of Addis AbebaChurchEthiopian Catholic ChurchSeeAddis AbebaAppointed7 July 1999PredecessorPaulos TzaduaOther post s President of Council of the Ethiopian ChurchPresident of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Episcopal ConferenceCardinal Priest of San Romano MartireOrdersOrdination4 July 1976Consecration25 January 1998by Paulos TzaduaCreated cardinal14 February 2015by Pope FrancisPersonal detailsBorn 1948 07 14 14 July 1948 age 74 Tchela ClakaNationalityEthiopianPrevious post s Titular Bishop of Bita 1997 1999 Apostolic Administrator of Addis Abeba 1997 1999 Coat of armsOrdination history of Berhaneyesus Demerew SouraphielHistoryPriestly ordinationDate4 July 1976Episcopal consecrationPrincipal consecratorPaulos TzaduaCo consecratorsYohannes WoldeghiorghisWoldetensae GhebreghiorgisDate25 January 1998CardinalateElevated byPope FrancisDate14 February 2015Episcopal successionBishops consecrated by Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel as principal consecratorTesfasellassie Medhin20 January 2002Abraham Desta10 May 2002Musie Ghebreghiorgis OFM Cap 8 February 2004Rodrigo Mejia Saldarriaga SJ4 March 2007Giovanni Migliorati MCCI31 May 2009Theodorus van Ruiyven CM30 August 2009Markos Ghebremedhin CM24 January 2010Angelo Moreschi SDB31 January 2010Woldeghiorghis Mathewos11 April 2010Lisane Christos Matheos Semahun18 April 2010Tsegaye Keneni Derara24 November 2013Angelo Pagano OFM Cap 29 May 2016Roberto Bergamaschi SDB8 October 2016 Styles of Berhaneyesus Demerew SouraphielReference styleHis EminenceSpoken styleYour EminenceInformal styleCardinalHe was imprisoned while a priest by the Communist government of Ethiopia in 1979 80 A member of the Congregation of the Mission he directed the order s novitiate in the mid 1980s and was provincial superior from 1990 to 1994 He served as auxiliary bishop of Addis Abeda for 18 months before becoming archbishop Contents 1 Early life and priesthood 2 Episcopate 3 Cardinal 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksEarly life and priesthood EditBerhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel was born on 14 July 1948 in Tchela Claka near Harar in Ethiopia He first attended public schools and those run by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and then others run by the Capuchins and the De La Salle Brothers He entered the minor seminary of the Congregation of the Mission known as Lazarists or Vincentians in 1963 1 He studied at the Makanissa Major Seminary beginning in 1968 He studied theology at King s College London and was ordained a Catholic priest on 4 July 1976 2 He fulfilled parish assignments in southwestern Ethiopia until in June 1979 he was jailed by Ethiopia s military dictatorship for seven months including one month in solitary confinement 1 3 4 When the government expelled foreign missionaries he was left with responsibility for 15 parishes in addition to his original assignment 3 When sent into exile himself he earned a degree in sociology at the Pontifical Gregorian University 2 He returned to Ethiopia in 1983 Episcopate EditIn 1990 Berhaneyesus Souraphiel became provincial superior of the Lazarists in Addis Ababa In 1994 he was appointed prefect of the newly created Apostolic Vicariate of Jimma Bonga 2 On 7 November 1997 Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Addis Abeba and he was consecrated a bishop on 25 January 1998 2 by Cardinal Paulos Tzadua On 7 July 1999 he succeeded Paulos Tzadua as Ethiopian Catholic Archbishop of Addis Abeba 5 In 2005 he established the Ethiopian Catholic University of St Thomas Aquinas 6 He has served as its chancellor and toured the United States to raise funds through an organization founded by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi a veteran Vatican diplomat 7 In December 2008 he was one of a dozen Ethiopian religious figures who adopted a resolution that called homosexuality an infestation and urged Ethiopian lawmakers to extend the country s criminalization of homosexual activity to the constitution 6 8 He was elected chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa AMECEA during its 18th Plenary Assembly in Malawi in July 2014 citation needed Cardinal EditOn 4 January 2015 Pope Francis announced that he would make him a cardinal on 14 February 9 At that ceremony he was made a cardinal priest and was assigned the titular church of San Romano Martire 10 On 13 April 2015 he was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants 11 In 2015 as part of a long campaign for national reconciliation following the end of the military council s authoritarian rule 1974 1987 he advocated for imprisoned Derg officials to have their death sentences commuted and he met with several of them including one who had arrested him years earlier upon their release from prison 12 He has served as head of the Ethiopian Peace and Reconciliation Commission 4 In advance of the Synod on the Amazon he said he viewed the question of married priests as secondary to more critical issues the Amazon is the lung of the world and it was burning and what action was being taken And the indigenous people who are living there what right have they been given by the nine countries which surround the Amazon Did they get educational opportunities Health opportunities Opportunities to preserve their traditional values 4 See also EditCardinals created by Pope FrancisReferences Edit a b Ethiopia s Cardinal Souraphiel brings African family values to the college of cardinals Catholic News Agency 7 June 2015 Retrieved 12 April 2022 a b c d Nomina dell Arcivescovo Metropolita di Addis Abeba Etiopia Daily Bulletin in Italian Rome Holy See Press Office 7 July 1999 Archived from the original on 22 April 2013 Retrieved 1 February 2013 a b Brown Lauretta 22 October 2019 Ethiopian Cardinal Discusses Hope of Peace and What He Learned From St John Paul II National Catholic Register Retrieved 12 April 2022 a b c Ethiopian Cardinal Discusses Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Catholic University of America 7 November 2019 Retrieved 12 April 2022 Souraphiel Card Berhaneyesus Demerew C M Holy See Press Office Archived from the original on 4 September 2017 Retrieved 12 April 2022 a b McDermott Jim 13 February 2015 Go forth and preach the Gospel Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel Addis Ababa Ethiopia America Retrieved 12 April 2022 McElwee Joshua J 1 November 2013 Ethiopian archbishop Vatican should be credible moral source in the world National Catholic Reporter Retrieved 12 April 2022 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Ethiopia Human Rights and Labor U S Department of State Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor 25 February 2009 Annuncio di Concistoro per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali NEWS VA Official Vatican Network 4 January 2015 Retrieved 4 January 2015 Consistory list of titular church assignments Vatican Radio 14 February 2015 Retrieved 14 February 2015 Rinunce e nomine 13 04 2015 Press release in Italian Holy See Press Office Retrieved 12 April 2022 Ethiopian Cardinal Welcomes Man who Jailed him Caritas Internationalis 20 March 2015 Retrieved 12 April 2022 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel Wikimedia Commons has media related to Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel Souraphiel Card Berhaneyesus Demerew C M Holy See Press Office Archived from the original on 4 September 2017 Catholic Church titlesPreceded byvicariate established Vicar Apostolic of Jimma Bonga Succeeded byTheodorus van Ruiyven CMPreceded byPaulos Tzadua Titular Bishop of Bita1997 1999 Succeeded byvacantPreceded byPaulos Tzadua Archbishop of Addis Abeba1999 present IncumbentPreceded bytitular church established Cardinal Priest of San Romano Martire Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel amp oldid 1120521529, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
