The Exclusion of Oromos by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church

“People advancing toward disasters curse each other; those succeeding to development bless each other”

(Oromo proverb)

Religion plays a significant role in our lives; providing a source of community, spirituality, and wisdom that helps us to understand the world around us. Religious institutions, more specifically, organize and shape our societies by providing codified sets of rules around participation and morality.  Recognizing the importance of religion, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed that, “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.” However, while religion often plays a positive role, there are times when religious practices and teachings can serve as a tool to continue to repress historically marginalized groups. As we unveil in this exclusive, the intolerance within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church shows what can happen when history, power, and religion become dangerously entwined – in this case, at the cost of the Oromo people.

In preparing this article, OLLAA spoke with Reverend Samuel Berhanu and Abdi (name changed), a member of the Oromo diaspora community who was raised in the Ethiopian Orthodox church, in order to learn more about its history, including the exclusion Oromos have faced at the hands of the church since its formation. 

Religion and the construction of Ethiopia

Religion has played a critical role in the history and development of modern Ethiopia. Christianity was introduced to northern parts of Ethiopia in the 4th century and Ethiopian Orthodoxy was adopted by various ethnic groups, primarily the Amharas and Tigrayans. Later, Emperor Menelik II adopted an aggressive expansionist policy and conquered a variety of ethnic groups in a campaign that would eventually form the country Ethiopia. Many have posited that the way the campaign was conducted was functionally similar to European colonization. Menelik’s regime viewed the ethnic groups they conquered as “backward” and therefore “legitimized colonization with a ‘civilizing’ objective.” Throughout Ethiopia’s imperialist regime, leaders continued to entrench the Amharaized state structure and culture and encouraged the adoption of Christianity. For example, Halie Selassie introduced a new Constitution which made Amharic the only official language of Ethiopia and explicitly encouraged acculturation, while the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was the official religion of the ruling elite until the fall of the monarchy in 1974. In response, many Oromos adopted Islam as a form of opposition, and although their communities were allowed to practice their religion, they were considered to be “second-class citizens.” 

Today, the two most prominent religions in Ethiopia are Christianity (including Protestants, Catholics, and the Ethiopian Orthodoxy) and Islam, although some Oromo still practice the traditional, indigenous religion Waaqeffannaa. Despite the broad variety of religious beliefs that modern Oromos subscribe to, there have been widespread reports of Oromos of all religions facing discrimination, violence, and harassment as they attempt to practice their religion.  Within the Ethiopian Orthodox church, Oromos report that they continue to face discrimination and exclusion based on their ethnic and linguistic identity.

A history of exclusion: The Ethiopian Orthodox Church

In addition to exclusion based on their ethnic and religious identities, reports of human rights abuses being perpetrated against Oromos can be traced back well into the 19th century in Ethiopia. Despite being the largest ethnolinguistic group in Ethiopia, discrimination against the Oromo people by their governing and religious institutions has long served as a way to keep political and cultural power in the hands of ruling minorities. When such powerful institutions are complicit in oppressing marginalized groups, the ensuing lack of accountability can make it very difficult for those experiencing oppression to seek refuge in their own state. In the case of the Oromo, this has resulted in an epidemic of discrimination and violence across the country that continues to this day. This makes it necessary to explore the role of the Ethiopian Orthodox church in perpetrating a system that excludes Oromos and continues to lead to abuses against the Oromo people. 

Before delving into the modern practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox church that exclude Oromos and further marginalize them in Ethiopian society, it is important to understand some of the unique features of the religion that distinguish it from other forms of Christianity and link it closely to the Ethiopian Imperialist regime. The first is that the church has a defined liturgical language, Ge’ez, which is an ancestor of the modern Amharic language. The church also observes the Sabbath on both Saturdays and Sundays and celebrates various saints throughout the year. Finally, the religion preaches that the biblical figure known as the Queen of Sheba was from the Kingdom of Abyssinia, and bore King Solomon’s son, Menelik I. After he rose to power, Sahle Miriam adopted the name Emperor Menelik II and claimed that he was a descendant of the Solomonid line, thus explicitly tying the imperial Ethiopian government to the church.  

Suppression of Oromo identity

Abdi is a member of the Oromo diaspora community whose family members belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. When asked about his experience, he claims that his close relatives and friends have faced discrimination and exclusion at the hands of the church. First and foremost, he points to the fact that the Oromo community is not allowed to worship in the Afaan Oromoo language, and that sermons are only given in Amharic, a language that the majority of Oromos do not understand. He notes that, historically, any person who spoke Afaan Oromoo was not considered a true follower of the religion and was subsequently ousted from the church. He also claims that traditionally Oromos were not permitted to be priests or otherwise work for the Ethiopian Orthodox church, and, even today, there are very few members of the Oromo community who serve as clergy. Although one of Abdi’s uncles is a priest for the Ethiopian Orthodox church, he was raised to speak Amharic by his mother (who was Amhara), and, to this day, delivers his sermons in Amharic. 

Abdi alleges that the Ethiopian Orthodox church has also sought to suppress the Oromo community’s identity in other ways, most notably through their dress. According to him, the Ethiopian Orthodox church does not permit worshippers to wear traditional Oromo clothing and instead encourages them to don traditional Amhara clothing. Given the historical cultural repression faced by Oromos, who were encouraged to adopt the Amharized Ethiopian culture, it is no wonder that many Oromo youth have pushed back against this edict, and have begun wearing traditional Oromo clothing. The church has reportedly attempted to dissuade the youth from doing so, telling them that the decision to wear Oromo traditional clothing made going to church a display of politics, rather than a place for worship. 

Abdi also believes that the practice of observing the Sabbath on both Saturdays and Sundays has led to further economic hardships for Oromo practitioners. He notes that generally speaking, individuals from the Amaha ethnic group tend to have greater access to economic and educational opportunities than Oromos, leaving Oromos disadvantaged. Those Oromos who belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox church have been explicitly told that it is mandatory for them not to work during the Sabbath or on other religious holidays. Those who choose to work on these days face economic consequences, including being forced to pay money to the church as penance. In addition, those who refuse to obey the tenants of the church face marginalization from their church community, meaning that if a person becomes ill or dies, they may have no one to care for them. Taken together, Abdi says that these rules lead to Oromo practitioners not working on the Sabbath, even when they cannot reasonably afford to do so. 

Religious practice and cultural imperialism

Reverend Samuel Berhanu has worked for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church since he was 12 years old, first as a deacon in the Illubabor zone of the Oromia region, and later as a priest after he graduated from Holy Trinity Theology University in 2000. He has been living in the United States since 2013, where he continued to serve as a priest. In 2019, he was invited to lead a prayer at a gathering of the DMV Oromo diaspora community (Oromos living in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.). During this meeting, the Oromo community asked him to raise their concerns about the exclusionary practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with religious leaders, including the fact that religious services could not be conducted in Afaan Oromoo and the prohibition on wearing traditional Oromo clothing.  Instead of hearing him out, the HN St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church, based in Washington, D.C., fired him and excommunicated him for “standing with the Oromo community and blessing the meeting.”   

Like Abdi, Reverend Samuel also believes that the Ethiopian Orthodox church has been used as a tool to further marginalize Oromos while maintaining Amhara power.  He claims that Amhara politicians use the church as a means to curry favor from others, and this results in a dangerous mixing of religion and politics. He also notes the harsh response of the church to Oromos beginning to use the Oromo language and wearing traditional clothing–which they claim is a political statement–serves to deepen inter-communal tensions and further Oromo cultural marginalization. 

Religion and peace-building

Ultimately, Reverend Samuel believes in the power of religion to bring people together and emphasizes that Ethiopian religious leaders should focus on solving the deeper issues that the country faces such as peacebuilding, rather than exacerbating tensions and causing further marginalization. After he was excommunicated, he established the Mana Christiana Northwest Washington D.C. Church, which holds services in Afaan Oromoo every Sunday and allows Oromos to wear their traditional clothes.  He notes that all are welcome in his new church, including Tigrayans and Amharas, and that they also provide services in the Amharic language for those who do not speak Afaan Oromoo. Reverend Samuel, alongside leaders from other Oromo religious communities, including Protestants, Muslims, and Waaqeffannaa, also recently established the Global Oromo Interfaith Council, whose members work together to advance peace and stability throughout the Oromia region. 

Article 2 of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities sets out that “Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities… have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, and to use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination.” In a country where the Oromo have faced a history of cultural repression and forced assimilation – from outlawing of the use of Afaan Oromoo from 1941 until 1991, to the human rights abuses that Oromos continue to face today – it is clear that the Oromos continue to be marginalized. By continuing to force Oromo practitioners to conform to Amharized standards in their worship, including by refusing to allow priests to preach in Afaan Oromoo and forbidding youth from wearing traditional Oromo clothing, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is complicit in the continued marginalization and exclusion of Oromos from Ethiopian society. Instead, as Reverand Samuel stresses, religion should be a tool to bring people together – opening the way for mutual respect and the flourishing of all groups and peoples in Ethiopia.

As the Oromo proverb teaches, “People advancing toward disasters curse each other; those succeeding to development bless each other”.