Boycott of alms by followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church (EOTC), following the erection of Ato Gebremedhin’s (formerly Aba Paulos, aka Aba Diabilos) statue in Addis Ababa, has forced priests and bishops throughout the country to rebel against the TPLF cadre who clams to be patriarch. Last week, several bishops who are members of the Church’s administrative decision making body (the synod), after weeks of arguing and debating, voted to dismantle Gebremedhin’s statue. Gebremedhin has refused to sign the minutes that contain the decision, and instead this week he went on a tour to various monasteries in Ethiopia to find statues of religious leaders to make a case that he is not the first to have a statue. He has also scheduled a trip to Egypt to find statues of religious leaders. His paid supporters have begun distributing a petition against the synod’s decision.
Meanwhile, EOTC followers continue to withhold alms until the statue comes down, drying up the Church’s income. There is also a strong movement within the church leadership inside the country, led by Abune Samuel and many others, to oust Gebremedhin, who is being accused of grave misconducts such as maladministration, corruption, nepotism, and behavior unbecoming of a patriarch.