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DSKM board exposes itself as Tagay Gebre-Medhin's servant

Posted on by EthiopianReview.com

Ethiopian Review Editorial

It was reported on Saturday that the Debre Selam Kidist Mariam (DSKM) church’s board had sent a letter to officials of the Kidist Mariam Idir informing them that their church membership has been revoked. The letter also warned that if the Idir officials appear on the church premises, the board would take ‘police action.’

After consulting with their lawyer, the Idir officials ignored the board’s letter and went to the DSKM church on Sunday morning, as they have been doing for the past several years. When they arrived at the church, none of the board members could muster the courage to tell them to leave. The membership fee for one of the Idir officials, Ato Tadele, was due. So after the prayer service, he went to the membership fee collector, paid the fee and received a receipt while some of the board members looked on. Many of the church members warmly greeted the Idir officials and expressed to them their outrage at the board’s ill-advised letter.

During the prayer, the head priest acknowledged that the church is going through a crisis and called for a week of prayer.

As if handing over the church to the Woyanne patriarch is not enough, using the church’s financial and other resources, the DSKM board has unleashed a misinformation campaign against those who expressed opposition, such as the three officials of the Idir (self-help association).

The board has been trying to mislead members of the church that the Idir officials have made an unauthorized withdrawal of funds from the Idir’s account. As a matter of fact, the DSKM board is not the one that determines what is authorized or unauthorized withdrawal. It is the Idir officials who have full authority over the Idir’s funds, unless otherwise decided by members of the Idir at a general meeting. The DSKM board has no authority over the Idir what so ever. Its relation with the Idir is limited to allowing members and officials of the Idir to use the church’s facilities for meetings and other activities, and also to deposit the Idir’s money in the church’s bank account. (Since the Idir is not a legal entity, it could not open its own bank account.) That’s how it has been done for the past 7 years.

One may ask, ‘So what has changed now?’

It all began recently when the DSKM board started to flirt with Tagay Gebre-Medhin (formerly Aba Paulos). The DSKM board has launched an all out smear campaign against the three Idir officials when they started to take steps to protect the Idir from being taken over by Tagay Gebre-Medhin. After becoming aware of that, the DSKM board went on a vicious campaign of lies and misinformation to destroy the good names of Ato Seyoum Garedew, Ato Tadele Gebre-Wold and Ato Solomon Bedasso. The DSKM board has almost succeeded in discrediting these three innocent Ethiopians, until Ethiopian Review and Addis Dimts Radio stepped in and started telling the other side of the story. In retaliation, the DSKM board sent a lawyer after the Ethiopian Review publisher.

Members of the DSKM board have brought shame to the church and themselves by accepting a Woyanne cadre as the patriarch. Then they started to conducted themselves as a bunch of thugs against those who opposed their act of treachery. Their most recent unchristian behavior is the threat of ‘police action.’

The real force behind the DSKM board is a group of prominent individuals in our community who put the board up for all this mess — starting with accepting Tagay Gebre-Medhin as a patriarch. The group includes, among others, Prof. Getatchew Haile, Dr Aklilu Habte, Dr Almaz Zewde, and Ato Billilign Mandefro. Behind all the crises inside Ethiopian Orthodox churches around the world is this group of individuals. They present themselves as anti-Woyanne to the public, but turn around and promote the Woyanne-installed patriarch by campaigning against the legitimate leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The root cause of the crisis inside the DSKM and other Ethiopian churches around the world is this persistent, all-out effort by Prof. Getatchew Haile and friends (read this) to discredit the exiled leaders of the Orthodox Church. The likes of Frew Bulbula and Abebe Aboye are working for Prof. Getatchew’s group, directly or indirectly serving Tagay Gebre-Medhin.

* Listen to Addis Dimts Radio’s interview on Saturday with Abune Yoseph for further information [click here – forward to 31:00 minute]

* This letter was originally posted on Aiga Forum, a Woyanne web site. It talks about a meeting that was held in the DSKM church in Washington DC to condemn the exiled Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church. The meeting also called for greater tie with Tagay Gebre-Medhin.

* The DSKM was represented by Dr Aklilu Habte at a meeting in Minneapolis in April 2007, to discuss how to destroy the exiled Holy Synod of the EOTC. Read its resolution here, which was carried by Woyanne media like the Aiga Forum. There is clearly a close coordination of activities between Dr Getatchew Haile (mastermind of the anti-Abune Merkorios camp), Dr Aklilu, Dr Almaz and others with Woyanne organizations like Tagay Gebre-Medhin’s synod in Addis Ababa, the Aiga Forum and others.

7 thoughts on “DSKM board exposes itself as Tagay Gebre-Medhin's servant”

  1. “Ephrem Isaac on another mediation mission”.
    Professor Ephrem Isaac is expected to start his shuttle diplomacy again. This time the parties he wants to mediate are the two Ethiopian Orthodox Church synods. According to sources at the EOC, Professor Ephrem has obtained his go ahead from the Abuna Paulos.
    Ethio Zagol
    Last week of August, 2007
    ———————————————————-

    ER,
    In advance, this comment is not from a member of the DSKM church and not a kinijit member, just an Ethiopian Orthodox who believes in the vision of Kinijit, has found solace in simply having an Ethiopian Orthodox church over seas, and for saw some great future in DSKM church long time back through this period.

    Elias,
    As a self made “investigative” journalist, at times, information and issues you bring forth to the public’s awareness can be supported, but there are some questions concerning your self, specially as a very politically motivated reporter.
    1. Are you an Orthodox Christian your self?. ( No offense to evade your privacy, but it is important to know, specially as you are very involved, and deep into the subject of the church’s division).
    2. If Prof. Getachew Haile and Dr. Almaz, who are also a part of Kinijit’s “splinter group” ( as you call it, Shaleka and gang), now, KIC, were not board members of the DSKM church, would you have perused the story with vigilance?.
    3. To the general church attending mass of the church, the dedication and service of the priests is genuinely the same, in line to the traditional service, and the priests commitment no less than any church and well connected to the average worshiper.
    4. One gets no clue that there is such hostility or division or the size of the crowd any less than the usual as of the latest Sunday.
    5. The church is not only continuing to be a part of the general Ethiopian community, but is also actively committed to observance of holidays and including the millennium celebration and its civic duties.
    6. The DSKM church is either overly confident or might have a policy not to retaliate and/ or defend itself on media out lets, and unfortunately there has not been any press release in relation to this subject known to some of us.
    7. You take the subject matter of IIDIR vs.DSKM beyond what it is, and as far as your reporting, it has become a great means to denounce some “members of the board” you oppose politically and of course the Abune Paulos. My stand personally, supports the potential of MEDIATION through Shimagelewoch and Prof. Isaac has the back ground knowledge of Ethiopian religion and that is some thing to look forward to, other wise the division is as much political.

    Having mentioned all of the above, it does not mean that the board is right or wrong, because at this time, there is no official statement from the DSKM church, except occasional comment from the church’s attorney Mathew Hertz. The IDIR members and representatives have stated their side vocally through Addis Dimtse Radio and their story has been consistently defended through your articles and forum. As objectively as possible, some of us have defended the IDIR’s story, but it seems to gradually to evolve into an opportunity to attack the core and bigger issues of the” two ETOC synods” division and a one sided report and defense as far as the media’s representation.

  3. Ms. Annon(#1),

    I beleive that this article is telling the truth. I have listened to the radio interviews of the idir officials claim. All it was is that they defended their personal acts as to the claims against them. They have not once disrespected the church so far and that is why I think they have the truth with them. They repeatedly said that the reason why they got on the radio is because the board kept tarnishing their name in front of church goers who are not aware of the whole issue and baned them from speaking their side. They have also made it clear that there are some confused/misinformed people who have viewed them as thieves who stole the idir’s money. So they took action to clear their name. That should not be seen as an attempt to distroy anyone.

  4. mihela,
    Thank you for the reminder that DSKM church’s web site
    exist. To be honest, the last I viewed the web site was several months ago. From a quick scan, found no statement on the web site about DSKM vs.IDIR.

    The information you refereed, “What is new”? As well as the church’s letter to the synods in Addis Ababa, clearly makes a distinction in the DSKM church recognizing the political dilemma the county is in, makes an appeal for the release of the prisoners, and over all makes a diplomatic correspondence to the same for its constructively positive involvement as head of the EOTC in side the county.

    The reasons for the choice the church made in appointing the priest you mentioned, as stated in the statement all appears to be very legitimate reasons that make a difference in preference of one priest over another.

  6. Brother Elias,

    The fact and truth finder.

    How come other media outlets do not expose the so called “intellectuals” like Dr. Getachew Haile, Aklilu Habte and their gangs are destablizing our church and our unity to fight the Woyanne junta. Are there not other old statesmen to advice these people to come to their senses.

    Mequanent

  7. dear # 6 (mequanent)

    Dr. Getatchew and Dr. Aklilu are good Ethiopians who have contributed to their country a great deal. Don’t just be about today. Please think of yesterday and tomorow. This people are not woyane, nor do they block the strugle from succeeding! Dr. Aklilu has always spoken against the government’s actions such as the killings of civilians. At the same time, I think the Idir learders have been wronged by the DSKM board members who use the church’s money and name in vain. If anything, the Idir leaders should have been appreciated, but what the board decided to do was the opposite. The board was engaged in charcter assasination. There should have been a fatherly role played by the priests, but instead the priests exacerbated the problem by making sure the Idir people surrender to the claims of the board. That is not ethical what so ever!

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