Meeting of the Churches For World Peace


Today not only the church, but also the political powers of the world are frequently meeting, leaving their differences aside, to tackle common problems, and find ways and means for the achievement and preservation of world peace. The church should not overlook this great task because she is the origin of peace and fraternity.

Our own Church is as ancient as our faith, and her history is replete with accounts of the unswerving faith of our people, the inspiring heroism of our martyrs, the Holiness of our saints. The history of our nation has always been closely related to the history of our Church, and the Church has been both the rallying point and the inspirer of our national unity.

Christianity has flourished in Our country, keeping its original features and character through the centuries. As a nation we have a great debt to the church for our cultural heritage.

Ever since We ascended the historic throne of Ethiopia, We have considered it Our duty to call for a meeting of the churches who belong to the same fold. We were praying to God for His help in achieving this holy purpose, so that He may grant it to us to see this event. In ancient times the Byzantine emperors used to summon the councils. Our sincere wish from the very beginning was to see these churches meeting to discuss their common interests and decide on their common problems. This wish is, in actual fact, fulfilled today, and We are happy to witness it. Therefore, We thank Almighty God first because He has enabled Us to properly
fulfill Our clear duty, and secondly, because Our long cherished desire has now met with fulfillment. 

You are to consider the problem of peace, because the world today is facing a great dilemma: the catastrophic weapons which are the result of human ingenuity, menace the world to the point of annihilation, and the human race is more than ever in need of the prayers and support of the Church.

In this fact we have another ground for co-operation with all the Churches of the world. As the followers of Christ let us not forget how often our cause has suffered through disunity.

We would like to refer in conclusion to the question of
social welfare in the modem world. For a country can
achieve much more in this field if supported by the church.
The will of God will be realized and humanity can achieve
progress in both the spiritual and material fields in a healthy society.