Re: መልካም፥ ምክር፥ለመንግስትም፥ ለሁሉም፤
The main problems with this abbatoch is the fact that they think of themselves as omnipotent, omnipresent, the almighty and king of all things under the sun who can do any thing and every thing under the sun. They behave just like the 2000 years ago slave societies over whom clergies of those days have had life and death exclusive monopoly power. Modern day democratic and pluralist societies CAN NOT ACCEPT and should not such totalitarian demagogy backward dogmatic thinking and behaving.
The other faction, Abba Saawiros? has Never Said that they want to break or divide the church in to tow or more independent entities , NEVER HEARD, even though these Abbatoch endlessly and monotonically repeat the same, claiming that they want to break or divide the Church. In fact what the other faction is saying that they want to teach people in their languages in different regions so that the Orthodox religion can expand and grow. So, why keep lying just to demonize them and on top of that agitating and pressuring the government to punish the victims.?
Their explanations are also full of sweet self serving contradictions and propaganda fairy tale elements. For example, they are saying that politics and politicians came and interfered in their church and their jobs but they themselves never went to interfere in politics and politician's jobs or areas of activities. But that is not true at all. Even within the current government they have many of their religious person's might be operating in there covertly or overtly. Additionally, the Ethiopian Orthodox have always actively political.
It is an old story but for example, during Menelik's conquest of the South the Orthodox Church is said to have been in the front head marching with loud Negarit drum drumming, agitating the king's fighting forces, cheering and blessing the killings and mass displacements. Is that not only political participation but political leadership?
I am not saying this to blame them now for such gruesome historical crimes because now we have a common country needing to cured the wounds or curing them so as to go ahead and build a better world. But on the other hand some of these clergies are so proud about such crimes and their contributions and are bragging about their contribution in making modern Ethiopia using such inhuman methods.
Coming to the current conflict, they always/repeatedly say that serious crimes have been committed by an outlaw bandits who break in to the church breaking closed church doors and try to use the churches facilities. Because doors were broken and facilities over taken over unlawfully, the government must punish them or else the government itself is an accomplice, according to them.
First and foremost, the conflict is between the long standing members of the same Church community and in that sense one faction does not have any legal ground whatsoever to close the door against the other faction, because they have joint ownership to the church.
It is not enough to say tat the other faction is expelled on flimsy self serving ground..One faction closing the church (work place) against another faction is already a crime by itself. So after they have committed the precedent crime of closing the church how can they blame the opining of the church by the other faction because what has been closed must be opened at least in this particular case since both are long standing higher level Church clergies.
It is very funny that they claim not to be making politics or interfere in politics while at the same time they are shouting that they have supports in the armed forces, police and militia who are wearing or carrying their logos and symbols( Mahtab, Cross, etc.). This is dirt heap party politics of trying to divided the armed forces and take over power from that back door. Tplf have been doing that, Amhara extremists have been and still doing that, extremist desperate vagabond neftegna journalists and propagandists are doing that. Nothing new. Other extremists are doing that too. That is because they want to catch fire with some body's hands hoping to climb the power ladder on the dead bodies of the armed forces, police and militia.
Just to say something from my own background case, many years ago my grand father built Orthodox Church with his own money in a village near his home. As the church started functioning only Amharic speaking clergies started to come and preach in Amharic to the population who have never even heard a word of Amharic. This absurd situation went on and on because people though that it is not meant to be heard or understood and only kissed the wooden doors and went back home to wonder about the whole issue.
My grandfather even buried his father on the church ground. But when the Amhara clergies were so conformable with Amharic language preaching to people who can't understand any word my grandfather got fed up and angry, dug out his father from the church yard and went to bury under the Odaa tree (Sycamore tree)
The concept of odaa is to be found in the philosophy of ancient waaqeffannaa spiritual society. The waaqeffannaa spiritual society’s symbol for sacred tree is Odaa sycamore tree, the first tree of all trees.
As we know from our knowledge of past generation and wisdom, Odaa is a national symbol of Gadaa-Oromcracy. Gadaa is an Oromo democratic system in which people are elected to serve people in a definite period of eight years national election. Even though, the Oromcracy was marginalized for a century we can see that it continuous in many forms to be flourished again. Thanks to our forefathers stories, we can see our shared history and culture with a new perspective.Oromo Elders played their best role in keeping the tradition and culture. Hence, heritages like Gadaa and Odaa have been survived against continued direct and indirect attacks for a century.
Generation after Generation at least as we know it, in all Oromo oral history, all gathering for governing purpose and dispute settlement has taken place under this sacred tree, Odaa. When we talk about Bokkuu, Raabaa Doorii, walgayaa Galmaa, haasawaa Gumaa all held under Odaa, beside retaulizing further, among all Oromo trees, Odaa. This has been seen in all Oromo outlook for centuries.
Re: መልካም፥ ምክር፥ለመንግስትም፥ ለሁሉም፤
In my view change is required but the change has to be properly managed so that it shall be peaceful, with full participation of stakeholders, with out interference of the government, with out compromising the unity of the Chruch etc!