Revision 8063436 of "Christianity in Ethiopia and Eritrea" on simplewiki

{{Infobox Christian denomination|name=Christianity in Ethiopia and Eritrea|main_classification=[[Eastern Christianity]]|orientation=[[Oriental Orthodoxy]], [[Orthodox Tewahedo]], [[Protestantism]], [[Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelicalism]], [[Evangelicalism]], [[Eastern Protestant Christianity]], [[Pentecostalism]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Baptists|Baptist]], [[Holiness Baptists]], [[Mennonite]]-[[Anabaptist]], [[Holiness movement]], [[Anglicanism|Anglican]], [[Methodism|Methodist]], [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]], [[Adventism|Adventist]], [[Catholicism]].|area=[[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]], [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Denmark]], [[Germany]], [[United Kingdom]], [[Israel]]-[[State of Palestine|Palestine]], [[Kenya]], [[Australia]], [[Italy]], [[Netherlands]], [[South Africa]], Ethiopian-Eritrean Diaspora|language=[[Geʽez]] ([[liturgical language]]), [[Languages of Ethiopia]], [[Languages of Eritrea]], [[Oromo language|Oromo]], [[Amharic]], [[Wolaytta language|Wolayta]], [[Sidamo language|Sidama]], [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]], [[Somali language|Somali]], (other languages), Diaspora Languages|liturgy=[[Alexandrian Rite]]|founder=*[[Frumentius]] (328 AD [[Axum]])<ref name="isbn0-313-32273-2">{{cite book|last=Adejumobi|first=Saheed A.|title=The History of Ethiopia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Un6_LGIEyQC&pg=PA171|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-32273-0|page=171}}</ref>

*[[Philip the Evangelist]] ({{Bibleref2|Acts 8:26-39}} "via [[Ethiopian eunuch]] of [[Kingdom of Kush|Kush]]")

*[[Mark the Evangelist]] (42 AD via [[Alexandria]])<ref name="Church History p28">[[Eusebius of Caesarea]], the author of ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|Ecclesiastical History]]'' in the 4th century, states that Saint Mark came to Egypt in the first or third year of the reign of Emperor Claudius, i.e. AD&nbsp;41 or 43 {{cite book|author=Otto Friedrich August Meinardus|title=Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cmey73GtfuUC|year=2002|publisher=American Univ in Cairo Press|isbn=978-977-424-757-6|page=28}}</ref>

*[[Christian mission|Christian Missionaries & Mission Organizations]] ([[19th Century|19th]]-[[20th Century|20th centuries]]) 
** EECMY: [[Peter Heyling]], [[Gudina Tumsa]], [[Emmanuel Abraham]] <br> 
** EKHC: [[SIM (Christian organization)|Sudan Interior Mission]], [[Thomas Lambie]] <br>
** MKC: [[Eastern Mennonite Missions]]|logo=|image=[[File:Ethiopian-Eritrean cross 1.png|100px]]|other_names=Christianity in Ethiopia, Christianity in Eritrea, Ethiopian Christians, Eritrean Christians.}}

'''Christianity''' is the largest religion in '''[[Ethiopia]]''', '''[[Eritrea]]''', among '''[[Ethiopians]]''', '''[[Eritreans]]''', the '''[[Habesha peoples|Habesha Community]]''' and '''their [[diaspora]]'''. [[Christianity]] in these countries and communities, dates back to the ancient [[Africa|African]] ([[East Africa|East African]]-[[Horn of Africa|Horn African]]) [[Kingdom of Aksum]], when [[Ezana of Aksum|King Ezana]] first converted to the faith and later on became the official religion of his kingdom and the [[Abyssinia|Ethiopian Empire]]. [[Eastern Christianity]] is the main Christian cultural tradition of these countries and communities.

There are several different branches of Christianity in the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities, and can be broken down into several denominations. The largest and oldest branch of Christianity in Ethiopia and Eritrea are the Orthodox Tewahedo churches, a group of culturally and theologically related [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] churches. The second largest Christian branch in Ethiopia and Eritrea is P'ent'ay (Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelicalism), a grouping of several [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations. The third branch of Christianity in the region is the [[Catholic Church]] or [[Catholicism]]. 

== Orthodox Tewahedo ==
{{Infobox Christian denomination|icon=|ministers=|founder=[[Apostolic succession]] from [[Frumentius]] in 328 AD in  [[Kingdom of Aksum|Axum]] and [[Mark the Evangelist]] in 42 AD in [[Alexandria]] according to Orthodox tradition|founded_date=[[Christianity in the 4th century|4th century]]|founded_place=[[Kingdom of Aksum]]|separated_from=|branched_from=[[Autocephaly]] from the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]]|merger=|absorbed=|separations=[[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] <br> [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]]|merged_into=|defunct=|congregations_type=|congregations=|members=|ministers_type=|missionaries=|liturgy=[[Alexandrian Rite]]|other_names=Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches|origin_link=|footnotes=|logo=|slogan=|website=|publications=|tertiary=|churches=|tax_status=|secondary_schools=|primary_schools=|aid=|nursing_homes=|hospitals=|headquarters=|language=[[Geʽez]]|icon_width=25px|abbreviation=EOTC|polity=[[Episcopal polity|Episcopal]]|theology=[[Miaphysite]]|scripture=[[Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon|Orthodox Tewahedo Bible]]|orientation=[[Oriental Orthodoxy]]|main_classification=[[Eastern Christianity]]|type=|caption=Top: [[Holy Trinity Cathedral (Addis Ababa)|Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral]] <br> Bottom: [[Enda Mariam Cathedral (Asmara)|Enda Mariam Eritrean Orthodox Cathedral]]|structure=|imagewidth=250px|image={{multiple image
| border                 = infobox
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| image1 =  Addis abeba, chiesa della trinità, esterno 02.jpg 
| image2 = Asmara, cattedrale ortodossa 04.JPG}}|native_name_lang=|native_name={{lang|am|ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ|italic=no}}|name={{Flagicon image|COA Illustration Cross Ethiopian.svg|1000px}} Orthodox Tewahedo {{Flagicon image|Eritrean Orthodox Cross.jpg|1000px}}|icon_alt=|governance=|leader_title2=|area=[[Ethiopia]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopians|Ethiopian diaspora]], [[Eritreans|Eritrean diaspora]]|division=|division3=|division_type3=|division2=|division_type2=|division1=|division_type1=|division_type=|leader_name2=|fellowships1=|fellowships_type1=|fellowships=|fellowships_type=|leader_name3=|leader_title3=|parent=}}
'''Orthodox Tewahedo''' is the common and historical name of the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] church in the former [[Ethiopian Empire]], that would later become the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]], the [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]], and the most dominant [[Christian denomination|Christian denominations]] in its successor states of [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]] respectively. It is one of the few pre-colonial Christian churches in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]{{fact|date=February 2022}} and one of the oldest Christian churches in the world with Ethiopia (then including Eritrea) being historically the second country, following only [[Armenia]], to have officially proclaimed Christianity as its state religion (in AD 333). The '''Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church''' ({{lang-am|የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን}}, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') and the '''Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church''' ([[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]]: ቤተ ክርስትያን ተዋህዶ ኤርትራ, ''Tewahədo Bet'ə K'rstian Ertra)'' are in [[Communion (Christian)|communion]] with the the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]], the [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]], the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] and the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]]. 

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest of the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] Christian churches and has a membership of about 36 million people,<ref name="Pew Polling & Analysis">{{cite journal|date=8 November 2017|title=Orthodox Christianity in the 21st Century|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/08/orthodox-christianity-in-the-21st-century/|journal=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|quote=Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has an estimated 36 million adherents, nearly 14% of the world's total Orthodox population.}}</ref><ref name="Population Census">{{cite journal|last1=Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia|first1=Population Census Commission|date=4 June 2012|title=Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census Results|url=http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Cen2007_firstdraft.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604045256/http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Cen2007_firstdraft.pdf|archive-date=4 June 2012|quote=Orthodox 32,138,126|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">{{cite web|title=Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church {{!}} church, Ethiopia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ethiopian-Orthodox-Tewahedo-Church|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|quote=In the early 21st century the church claimed more than 30 million adherents in Ethiopia.}}</ref><ref name="Pew Ethiopia">{{cite journal|title=Ethiopia: An outlier in the Orthodox Christian world|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/28/ethiopia-is-an-outlier-in-the-orthodox-christian-world/|journal=Pew Research Center}}</ref> the majority of whom live in [[Ethiopia]].<ref>Berhanu Abegaz (2005). [http://bxabeg.people.wm.edu/Ethiopia.Census%20Portrait.pdf "Ethiopia: A Model Nation of Minorities"] (accessed 6 April 2006)</ref> It is also a founding member of the [[World Council of Churches]].<ref>[http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/ethiopian-orthodox-tewahedo-church "Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church"], World Council of Churches website (accessed 2 June 2009)</ref>

From the first half of the 4th century until 1959, the Orthodox Tewahedo churches were administratively part of the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]]   it was granted [[autocephaly]] with its own [[patriarch]] by Saint [[Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria]], [[Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]]. Following the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia in 1993, the [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] was made autocephalous by [[Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria]] and it officially separated from what was now to become the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]].

== P'ent'ay - Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelicalism ==
{{Infobox Christian denomination|name=''P'ent'ay'' (ጴንጤ) / ''Wenigēlawī'' (ወንጌላዊ) <br/> Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelicalism|image=|imagewidth=113|members=~16,500,000|type=[[Eastern Christianity]]|main_classification=[[Eastern Protestant Christianity]]|orientation=[[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]], [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], [[Baptists|Baptist]], [[Mennonite]]-[[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]],|polity=[[Interdenominationalism|Interdenominational]] [[Ecumenism]]|language=[[Oromo language|Oromo]], [[Amharic]], [[Sidamo language|Sidama]], [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]], [[Kunama language|Kunama]], [[English language|English]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], [[German language|German]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], other [[Languages of Ethiopia]], [[Languages of Eritrea]], and languages of the diaspora|associations=|area=[[Ethiopia]], [[Eritrea]], United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, United Kingdom, Israel, Kenya, Australia, and other parts of the [[Ethiopians|Ethiopian]]–[[Eritreans|Eritrean]] diaspora|website=[http://www.ecfethiopia.org/index.htm Official ECFE website (english) ]|other_names=Ethiopian Evangelical Church, Eritrean Evangelical Church, Ethiopian Evangelicalism, Eritrean Evangelicalism|founded_date=19th–20th centuries|separated_from=[[Alexandrian Rite]]|founder=}}
'''P'ent'ay''' (from [[Ge'ez]]: ጴንጤ), also known as '''Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelicalism,''' is a term for [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Christians]] and other [[Eastern Protestant Christianity|Eastern/Oriental-oriented Protestants]] within [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]], and the [[Ethiopians|Ethiopian]] and [[Eritreans|Eritrean]] diaspora abroad.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|title=The peace-making Pentecostal|url=https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/the-peace-making-pentecostal/,%20https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/the-peace-making-pentecostal/|access-date=21 September 2020|website=www.eternitynews.com.au|language=en-AU}}</ref><ref name=":33">{{Cite web|title=Ethiopian Culture – Religion|url=http://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/ethiopian-culture/ethiopian-culture-religion|access-date=2 December 2020|website=Cultural Atlas|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bryan|first=Jack|title=Ethiopia Grants Autonomy to Evangelical Heartland|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/december/sidama-referendum-ethiopia-evangelicals-hawassa-snnpr.html|access-date=2 December 2020|website=News & Reporting|language=en}}</ref> Prominent movements among them have been [[Pentecostalism]], the [[Baptists|Baptist]] tradition, [[Lutheranism]], and the [[Mennonites|Mennonite]]-[[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] tradition.<ref name=":62">{{cite web|title=Current Influences and connections of western and Ethiopian churches|url=http://www.worldmap.org/maps/other/profiles/ethiopia/ET.pdf|access-date=22 March 2016|website=worldmap.org}}</ref> The denominations and organizations in Ethiopian and Eritrean societies are also collectively known as '''Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelicalism,''' the '''Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelical Church,'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Antsokia Ethiopian Evangelical Church|url=https://www.antsokia.net/index.php/contact-us|access-date=21 September 2020|website=www.antsokia.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=About the Evangelical Theological College|url=https://etcollege.org/about-us/|access-date=21 September 2020|website=Evangelical Theological College|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=International Ethiopian Evangelical Church|url=https://www.eecdc.org/index.cfm?id=135|access-date=21 September 2020|website=International Ethiopian Evangelical Church}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Evangelical Church Fellowship of Ethiopia|url=http://www.ecfethiopia.org/index.htm|access-date=21 September 2020|website=www.ecfethiopia.org}}</ref> or '''Wenigēlawī''' (from [[Ge'ez]]: ወንጌላዊ) which directly translates to “Evangelical.”

Ethiopian and Eritrean Protestant Christians are the result of American and European Protestant [[missionary work]] among youth who left the [[Orthodox Tewahedo]] churches because of theological differences, and later fanned by persecution against them. P'ent'ay Christians [[Schism|schismed]] from the Orthodox Tewahedo churches,<ref name=":33" /> other [[Christian denomination|branches]] of Christianity, or converted from other religions with the aid of Protestant missionaries to [[Reformation|reform]] [[Christianity in Ethiopia|Ethiopian Christianity]] and [[Christianity in Eritrea|Eritrean Christianity]] from what they perceived as doctrinal–theological diversions. Since the creation of P'ent'ay churches and organisations.<ref name=":62" />

=== Denominations ===
The major Protestant denominations in Ethiopia and Eritrea are a group of indigenous, closely linked (part of the {{Lang-am|አብያተ ክርስቲያናት|translit='Abiate kristianat' – 'ābiyate kirisitīyanati'}}{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} or community of churches) [[full communion]] [[Interdenominationalism|interdenominational]] [[Ecumenism|ecumenical]] group of [[Baptists|Baptist]], [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]], and [[Mennonites|Mennonite]] denominations.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Amnesty International|date=May 2004|title=Eritrea Report – Amnesty International|url=https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/92000/afr640032004en.pdf|journal=Amnesty International|volume=AI Index: AFR 64/003/2004|pages=13–17}}</ref>

==== Primary denominations ====

* The [[Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church|Ethiopian Kale Heywet (Word of Life) Church]], a [[Charismatic movement|charismatic]] Evangelical Protestant denomination with Pentecostal, Baptist, and Mennonite<ref name=":22">{{Cite web|last=Bryan|first=Jack|title=Is the World's Next Missions Movement in Ethiopia?|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/july-august/ethiopia-missions.html|access-date=2 December 2020|website=ChristianityToday.com|language=en}}</ref> roots. It is associated with the [[SIM (Christian organization)|Sudan Interior Mission]], an interdenominational organization, and has an Eritrean branch.
* The [[Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus|Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (Place of Jesus)]], a Lutheran denomination which includes a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]]-leaning synod. The Eritrean Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus is the Eritrean Lutheran branch of this Evangelical Protestant denomination. The Ethiopian Lutheran denomination is the largest non-united Lutheran Christian denomination (see [[list of Christian denominations by number of members]]).
* The [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea]], a Lutheran denomination which joined the [[Lutheran World Federation]] in 1963.
* The [[Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers' Church]], a Pentecostal denomination with Mennonite influence.
* The [[Meserete Kristos Church|Meserete Kristos (Christ Foundation) Church]], a Mennonite denomination with Pentecostal influence.

Some P'ent'ay communities—especially the Mekane Yesus Lutheran Church for example—have been influenced by the Orthodox Tewahedo churches, which represents the dominant traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean Christian demographic, but for the most part are very Pentecostal in their worship and theology.

==== Other denominations ====

* Ammanuel Baptist Church
* [[Christian Brethren]]
* Misgana Church of Ethiopia
* [[Assemblies of God]] –  Pentecostal
* Hiwot Berhan Church (Light of Life Church)
* Emnet Kristos
* Berhane Wongel – Gospel Light
* [[Ethiopian Addis Kidan Baptist Church]]
* Evangelical Church of Eritrea
* Lutheran Church of Eritrea
* Middle East General Mission
* [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]]<ref>World Christian Encyclopedia, 2001 edition, Volume 1, page 263</ref>
* [[Anglicanism]] is represented in Ethiopia and Eritrea by the [[Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East]] and [[Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria|Episcopal Anglican Province of Alexandria]]; Ethiopia and Eritrea are both part of the [[Anglican Diocese of Egypt|Diocese of Egypt]], which also includes other countries in the [[Horn of Africa]] as well as the North Africa region. There are two Episcopal churches in Ethiopia, one is in [[Addis Ababa]] and the other in [[Gambela, Ethiopia|Gambela]], while in Eritrea there are no officially operated congregations at this time.<ref>[http://anglicansonline.org/world/africa.html Anglicans Online: Africa]. Accessed 7 January 2010.</ref>
* Rema Church<ref name="Amnesty">{{cite web|title=Eritrea:Religious Persecution|url=https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/80000/afr640132005en.pdf|website=Amnesty International}}</ref>
* Hallelujah Church<ref name="Amnesty" />
* Faith Mission<ref name="Amnesty" />
* Faith Church of Christ<ref name="Amnesty" />
* Philadelphia Church<ref name="Amnesty" />
* Presbyterian Evangelical Church
* Trinity Fellowship Church
* Dubre Bethel Church
* Church of the Living God
* New Covenant Church<ref name="Amnesty" />

=== History ===
For the most part, Ethiopian and Eritrean Protestants state that their form of Christianity is both the reformation of the current Orthodox Tewahedo churches as well as the restoration of it to the original Ethiopian Christianity. They believe Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity was paganized after the 960s, during the reign of queen [[Gudit]], who destroyed and burned most of the church's possessions and scriptures.<ref>Paul B. Henze, ''Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia'' (New York: Palgrave, 2000) p. 48</ref> They claim those events have led to the gradual paganization of the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] which they say is now merely dominated by rituals, [[hearsay]] and [[Fable|fables]].<ref>{{cite web|date=8 June 2000|title=Evangelicals say Orthodox focused on "outward piety"|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2000/0608/p17s1.html|access-date=22 March 2016|publisher=Csmonitor.com}}</ref> P'ent'ay Christians use the alleged "secularized teaching" of the current Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches, the alleged inability of most Orthodox followers to live according to the instructions of the Bible and the [[deuterocanonical books]] used by rural priests, as a proof to their belief in the Orthodox Tewahedo teaching is also mainly syncretized. P'ent'ay Christians use the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity prior to the 1960s as their own history, despite lacking historical continuity.

It was only during the early 20th century that American and European missionaries spread Protestantism with Mennonite and Pentecostal churches through the [[Sudan Interior Mission]] (SIM)<ref name=":22" /> which led to the formation of the [[Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church]]. When the SIM continued its movement after a brief ban during Ethiopia's war with Italy, it is written that the missionaries were taken aback by the fruits of their initial mission. [[Peter Heyling]], a [[German Lutherans|German Lutheran]] was the first Protestant missionary in Ethiopia,<ref>Otto F. A. Meinardus, ''Christians in Egypt : Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Communities Past and Present'' (American University of Cairo Press, 2005), pp. 100ff.</ref> and is regarded{{by whom?|date=April 2021}}{{cn|date=April 2021}} as one of the founding fathers of the Lutheran denomination [[Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus]] alongside [[Gudina Tumsa]] and [[Emmanuel Abraham]]. Protestantism has had a presence in Eritrea for over 150 years much of which started when the [[Swedish Evangelical Mission]] (SEM) of the [[Church of Sweden]] first sent missionaries to preach to the [[Kunama people]] in 1866.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Andemariam|first=Senai W.|date=2012|title=The Story of the Translation of the Bible into Tǝgre|url=https://www.academia.edu/28063842|journal=Ityop̣is|volume=2|pages=62–88|access-date=29 June 2021}}</ref> Between the late-19th and late-20th centuries, the SEM undertook the task of translating the [[Bible]] into various Eritrean languages<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Andemariam|first1=Senai W.|date=2013|title=Who should take the Credit for the Bible Translation Works carried out in Eritrea?|journal=Aethiopica|issue=16|pages=102–129}}</ref> and influenced churches like the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea]]. The [[Eastern Mennonite Missions]] also played a role in spreading Mennonite Anabaptism which helped establish the [[Meserete Kristos Church]]. In 1951, Anna-Liisa and Sanfrid Mattson traveled from [[Finland]] to Ethiopia and established a Pentecostal [[Mission (station)|mission]] in [[Addis Ababa]], the country's capital. In 1960, a mission was created in [[Awasa]] by the [[Philadelphia Church Mission]] of the [[Swedish Pentecostal Movement]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Alvarsson|first=Jan-åke|title=Research on Pentecostalism in Sweden|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326296149|journal=Approaching Religion|volume=5}}</ref>. Pentecostalism, during the 1960s, attracted many students,<!--Why?--> and the movement grew enough that the [[Full Gospel Believers Church]] (FBGC) was created in 1967.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|title=Writing Religious History: The Historiography of Ethiopian Pentecostalism|last=Haustein|first=Jörg|publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag|year=2011|isbn=9783447065283|pages=14}}</ref> Pentecostal practices eventually affected other Protestant denominations in Ethiopia, particularly the [[Lutheran church]].<!--In what ways?--><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":322">{{Cite book|title=A Critical Survey of the Development of Charismatic Influences in the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus|last=Djaleta|first=Tesso|publisher=(Unpublished Master's Thesis). University of Liverpool}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book|title=The Impact of the Charismatic Movement and Related Tensions on the Traditional Lutheran Worship of the South Central Synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Since 1991|last=Godebo|first=Yacob|publisher=PhD Thesis (University of Liverpool)|year=2011}}</ref> Finnish and Swedish [[Missionary|missionaries]] began the first Pentecostal initiatives in Ethiopia, largely independent of influence by American practices.<ref name=":22" /> In 1967, the [[Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers' Church|Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers Church]] (Mulu Wengel) was founded.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Fantini|first=Emanuele|title=Go Pente! The Charismatic Renewal of the Evangelical Movement in Ethiopia|url=https://www.academia.edu/15028661|journal=In Ficquet E., Prunier G. (Eds), Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia,: Monarchy, Revolution and the Legacy of Meles Zenawi}}</ref> This church was the first independent Pentecostal church of Ethiopia and is still the largest Pentecostal group in Ethiopia.<ref name=":5" /> As churches were established, they relied on university students from [[Ethiopian Orthodox]] backgrounds to assume leadership roles within the Pentecostal churches.<ref name=":5" /> [[Methodism]],[[Holiness movement]], [[Presbyterianism]], and other denominational orientations have had some underlying influence on Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelicalism.

Protestant Christians still face persecution in rural regions and are assisted by the [[Voice of the Martyrs]];<ref>{{Cite web|last=Koh|first=Lyndsey|title=Ethiopia may not be the Christian safe haven it has been|url=https://www.mnnonline.org/news/ethiopia-may-not-be-the-christian-safe-haven-it-has-been/|access-date=2 December 2020|website=Mission Network News|language=en-US}}</ref> however, there is a growing tolerance between the Ethiopian Orthodox, [[Islam in Ethiopia|Muslims]] and the growing population of P'en'tay Christians in the urban areas of the country. With the dominance of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo and the growing Muslim population, the population of P'en'tay Christians was estimated around 16.15 million (19 percent of total population), according to the information released by the [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]].<ref name="state1">{{cite web|title=International Religious Freedom Report for 2014|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=208148#wrapper|access-date=22 March 2016|publisher=State.gov}}</ref>

== Catholicism (Catholic Church) ==
{{Infobox Christian denomination|icon=|members=70,832 (2017)<ref>[http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat17.pdf  The Eastern Catholic Churches 2017]</ref> <br> 167,722 (2017) <ref>[http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat17.pdf  The Eastern Catholic Churches 2017]|branched_from=|merger=|separations=|hospitals=|nursing_homes=|aid=|congregations=207 (2010)</ref>|ministers=|founder=Saint [[Mark the Evangelist]], by tradition|missionaries=|temples=|primary_schools=|secondary_schools=|tax_status=|tertiary=|other_names=|website=|separated_from=|liturgy=[[Alexandrian Rite]]|name=Ethiopian and Eritrean Catholic Churches|governance=[[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|Metropolitanate]]|image=|imagewidth=|caption=|main_classification=[[Eastern Catholic Churches|Oriental Catholic]]|orientation=[[Eastern Christianity]]|theology=[[Catholic theology]]|polity=[[Episcopal polity|Episcopal]]|structure=|headquarters=[[Addis Ababa]] and [[Asmara]]|leader_title=[[Pope]]|leader_name=[[Pope Francis|Francis]]|leader_title1=[[Ethiopian Catholic Archeparchy of Addis Abeba|Archbishop of Addis Ababa]] <br> [[Eritrean Catholic Archeparchy of Asmara|Archbishop of Asmara]]|leader_name1=[[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel]]{{fact|date=February 2022}} <br>  [[Menghesteab Tesfamariam]]|director=|fellowships=|associations=|area=[[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]]|footnotes=}}

The '''Ethiopian Catholic Church''' ({{lang-am|የኢትዮጵያ ካቶሊክ ቤተ ክርስቲያን}}; {{lang-la|Ecclesia Catholica Aethiopica}}) and the '''Eritrean Catholic Church''' ([[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]]: ኤርትራዊት ቤተ ክርስቲያን; {{lang-la|Ecclesia Catholica Erythraea}}) are [[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|metropolitan]] ''[[sui iuris]]'' [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]] [[particular church]] within the [[Catholic Church]], established in 1930 in [[Ethiopia]] and established in 2015 by separation of its territory from that of the [[Ethiopian Catholic Church]] and the setting up in that territory of a new ''[[sui iuris]]'' metropolitan Eastern Catholic Church, respectively.<ref>"a Metropolitana sui iuris archieparchia Neanthopolitana seiungimus eparchias Asmarensem, Barentuanam, Kerensem et Segheneitensem. Ex ita facto territorio, quod Erythraeam complectitur, novam Metropolitanam Ecclesiam sui iuris Asmarensem appellandam constituimus" ([https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/la/apost_constitutions/documents/papa-francesco_costituzione-ap_20150119_ecclesia-metropolitana-asmarensis.html Apostolic constitution ''Multum fructum'' of 11 January 2015)]</ref> Like the other [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], the Ethiopian Catholic Church is in [[full communion]] with the [[Holy See]]. It holds the Christological doctrine of the [[Council of Chalcedon]] and accepts the universal jurisdiction of the [[pope]]. These points distinguish it from the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] and the [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]], an [[Oriental Orthodox Church]] which comprises most [[Christians]] in the the Ethiopian and Eritrean Community. The Ethiopian and Eritrean Catholic Churches follow the [[Alexandrian Rite]] used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]], and the [[Coptic Catholic Church]]. As its liturgical language it employs [[Ge'ez language|Ge'ez]], a [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] language that fell out of daily use several centuries ago.
{{Christianity}}{{religion-stub}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Christianity by country|Ethiopia and Eritrea]]