The Church, as the government of God, is an integral and democratic institution. It is the life of every community which works in the lives if individuals. It is called upon to pledge to the words freedom, justice and peace in the world; to denounce violations of human indignity, to identify itself with the poor and oppressed.
Kingston Gleaner, Friday, May 15, 1970
The Head and Administrator of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the United States. Archimandrite Laike M. Mandefro arrived in Jamaica yesterday to establish a branch of the church in Jamaica; he was accompanied by Deacon Collin R. Tomlin and Deacon Gabre Hiwot.
They will be here about eight days. A crowd of about three hundred, most of them dressed in Rastafarian wear, some waving Ethiopian flags, gathered at the Palisadoes Airport to welcome the archimandrite. As the Air Jamaica plane touched down, the crowd, which thronged the waving gallery, sang hymns. Later they gathered at the entrance to the Customs area, but only Mr. Cecil Gordon, chairman of the Ethiopian Mission Committee in Jamaica and Mr. J. N. Hibbert, organizer, were allowed by the police in the area to meet the visiting party.
Soon after, the archimandrite and his party left the airport in a motorcade. Later at Hartley Court Guest House, 37 Lady Musgrave Road where he is staying, the archimandrite said that his coming to establish the Ethiopian Orthodox Church happened through the requests of many Jamaican brothers who have been writing to the Patriarch His Holiness Abuna Basilios and to Archbishop Theophilos, the acting Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and to him since he was appointed as the Head and Administrator of the Church in the United States.
After going through many correspondences with the Jamaican brothers, he was given the responsibility to deal particularly with the purpose of the mission in Jamaica. That was why he had come to establish the rightful mission to those who would like to have it here. There are branches of the church in Trinidad, Tobago and Guyana, he said. Membership is about 9,000. The Ethiopian Church has many churches all over the world. The first one in the Caribbean was established in 1959 in Trinidad.
He thought, he said, people were very much concerned about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and they knew that this was the church, which belonged to the black race. Everyone wanted to have his own identity People also considered it the oldest church in the world and that was why so many requests were coming to His Majesty and the church authorities.
As regards the establishment of the church here, Archimandrite Mandefro said that he was going to start tomorrow with a baptismal programme. He said of Haile Selassie Emperor of Ethiopia, that He is "…the great Christian leader in the world and the Defender of the Faith."
Governor General Sir Clifford Campbell yesterdav morning received a courtesy call from Archimandrite Abba Laike Mariam Mandefro Ethiopian born head and administrator of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the United States, and head of the Holy Trinity Ethiopian 0rthodox Church in Jamaica is in Jamaica for the Independence Celebrations the Archimandrite was accompanied by the Most Rev Samuel Carter S.J. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston, the Rev Cyril Swaby Anglican Bishop of Jamaica and the Rev. Stanley Webley secretary of the Jamaica Council of Churches who was representing the Bishop Hastings chairman of the Council of Churches accompanying the Archimandrite was Mr George Shoucair the Lebanese Council General and advisor to the Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Chuch and Deacon Arscott.
Today Africans are victims as their rights, wealth and dignity; everything is captured and taken away from them by the European Colonists. They have become the property and instruments of the powers. They are hired servants who have commited themselves to destroying their own fellow man. They cannot live in peace with their own brother in order to keep the dignity, style, system and ideology of the super-powers. Until they are able to make decisions for themselves, stop becoming brain-washed and an instrument for all the bloodshedding, the super-powers will continue to play the game that has already exterminated millions of lives
(Abba Yesehaq)
The school is one institution which has the power to influence the life of man. Today there are many schools and universities
in Africa and elsewhere, established by or headed by black people, yet when one thinks deeply about it, the black child
has nothing to grasp as their curriculum is originated after the western perception.
There are many churches and church organizations which are established and administered by black ministers and followed by black congregations,
but none of them are relevant to the life of the black people as they are structured after the pattern and life-style of the European communities. As long as the Africans and their descendants continue to live in the life-style of other nations, they are still in captivity and their liberation is not yet certain.
(Abba Yesehaq)
The church being free shows with great evidence that the major problems of society are being solved and the needs and hopes of a large number of people are being realized.
A real productive life which meets the needs of the people, and the need for new patterns and efffective participation, in the decision making which determine their future life, can only be obtained through LIBERATION. In this case Liberation becomes the Mother of achievement for a new progressive and productive life.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip bowing before Emperor Haile Selassie First of Ethiopia and His wife, Empress Menem Asfew. As far as is known Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have never bowed before anyone else.
Do not remove the kinks from your hair--remove them from your brain. [Marcus Garvey]
Most of the time we hear criticisms from several goverments and individuals on the involvement of the Church in community affairs. In fact; the Church is the link between God and Man and as such it is the duty of the church to identify itself with the poor and oppressed.
If the Church, which is to be an instrument of the word of God and the mouth of the oppressed, is to keep silent and be afraid to witness the truth, it means that she has forgotten that Christ was a revolutionary and compassionate, and that he established the Church as a revolutionary God, contradicting himself with the old system, which was contrary to the freedom and welfare of all men.
The Ethiopian Tewahedo* Church is an indigenous and integral church of Africa. It is one of the oldest churches in the world, if not the oldest, and is one of the founders of the World Council of Churches.
"...His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I is the defender of the faith. He attends Church services regularly and strictly observes the frequent Fast days and Holy days. He never misses Sunday morning services. He brought a strong Unity among the Eastern Orthodox Churches with their central office being organized in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and the central committee of the world council of churches had it’s meeting in January 1971 in Addis Ababa through His Majesty."