On June 12, the Vatican announced the retirement of Berhaneyesus Demerew Cardinal Souraphiel as Archbishop of Catholic Archdiocese of Addis Ababa, bringing to an end the Cardinals’ over two decades of active administration of the Ethiopian Metropolitan See.
Appointed Archbishop of Addis Ababa on 7 July 1999, Cardinal Souraphiel served in various capacities both in Ethiopia and internationally. He served as President of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Episcopal Conference and Chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).
In his 27 years as Archbishop and regional Church leader, Cardinal Souraphiel emerged as an influential voice and a strong advocate for peace, social justice and reconciliation amid past and ongoing conflicts in the region.
He is known to be outspoken on social-political issues, with a firm stance on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ). He has also amplified the voices of migrants and refugees, and that of the victims of war.
Here ere are a few interesting facts about Cardinal Souraphiel that many people may not know.
Imprisoned for months during Marxist regime in Ethiopia
Born on 14 July 1948 in Tchela Claka in Ethiopia’s Apostolic Vicariate of Harar, Cardinal Souraphiel joined the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians/MC) and was ordained a Priest on 4 July 1976.
Cardinal Souraphiel was ordained a Priest two years into the dictatorial regime of the Derg, a Marxists-Leninist military regime.
The junta ruled with an iron fist, with mass executions and imprisonments without trial. Cardinal Souraphiel was imprisoned for seven months (1979-1980) in Jimma as part of a crackdown on religious leaders by the junta regime.
In an interview with the EWTN’s National Catholic Register, Cardinal Souraphiel described Ethiopia’s experience with the Derg that had overthrown President Haile Selassie as “terrible.”
He added, “That’s one of the times of Ethiopia when many people died, especially young people, who were killed in large numbers. And it’s terrible that that thing happened in Ethiopia; and also, we lost some members of the imperial government, really great statesmen, who were also killed.”
In the interview published in October 2019, the Ethiopian Cardinal described one month in solitary confinement as having been “very, very difficult, very hard”, let alone the seven months he ended up spending in jail.
“That is the time when I prayed very much,” he said, and added, “When you are alone and naked in front of God; and whenever they knock, you are not sure if they have come to take you and kill you, you pray a lot. I prayed there; and together with the other Christians, the Orthodox, the Muslims, the Protestants — we prayed, we worked, and, through prayer, we were able to go out.”
The regime killed many thousands of its opponents, imprisoned people on religious grounds and confiscated property. This experience, however, did not deter Souraphiel’s commitment to his faith and his people.
Parish Priest in charge of 16 parishes
Before the Marxist regime in Ethiopia ended in 1987, many missionaries had been expelled from the Horn of Africa nation, leaving the few local Clergy with a lot of work to do.
Cardinal Souraphiel remembered once, as he served as Parish Priest, he was in charge of 15 other parishes that had been left without pastors.
“When the missionaries were expelled from southwestern Ethiopia, I was there. But imagine when all the missionaries were expelled! The foreigners could go, but we had to stay and continue the work,” the Cardinal said.
He added, “I used to be a parish priest of one parish, but when the missionaries left, I was in charge of 15 other parishes.”
“I had to go all around to encourage the people to be with the faith. The communists took all our properties; everything was taken, confiscated, and we were thrown in prison.”
