33 Facts About Abune Paulos

Abune Paulos was born in Adwa in Tigray Province; his birth name was Gebre Medhin Wolde Yohannes.

Abune Paulos's family was long associated with the Abba Garima Monastery near the town, and he entered the monastery as a young boy as a deacon trainee, eventually taking monastic orders and being ordained a priest.

Abune Paulos was sent to study at the St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in the United States, and afterwards joined the doctoral program at the Princeton Theological Seminary.

Abune Paulos was anointed a bishop along with four others, assuming the name and style of Abune Paulos, and given responsibility for ecumenical affairs by the Patriarch.

Abune Paulos returned to Princeton in 1984 to complete his doctoral degree there, and began his life as an exile.

Abune Paulos was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by Patriarch Abune Takla Haymanot in 1986 while in exile.

Abune Paulos was elected in 1992, and Abune Merkorios and his supporters went into exile, establishing a rival synod in the United States.

Abuna Abune Paulos built a new Patriarchal office and residence complex at the site of the old one, and reformed the bureaucracy of the Patriarchate.

Abune Paulos travelled widely, strengthening the ties of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church with other sister churches.

Abune Paulos reluctantly acquiesced to the breaking away of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church when that country declared independence.

Abune Paulos took the initiative to the series of peace meetings between all Ethiopian and Eritrean religious leaders in 1998,1999 and 2000 in an effort to bring peace between the two countries in response to a bitterly fought border war.

In 1995, Abuna Abune Paulos asked for the faithful to fulfill their religious obligations by contributing their share to the restoration of Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Abune Paulos led a Fundraising Committee of 15 people which was established to work within the country and abroad on the project.

Patriarch Abune Paulos presided over the funerals of Emperor Haile Selassie in 2000, Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen in 1997, and Princess Tenagnework in 2004.

Abune Paulos presided over the funerals of the 60 ex-officials of the Imperial government in 1993, and the funeral of the leading opposition leader of the time, Professor Asrat Woldeyes in 1998.

Abuna Abune Paulos found success after he asked a British Museum to return ten "tabots" containing images of the Ark of the Covenant.

In March 2006, Abune Paulos was elected to serve as one of the seven presidents of the World Council of Churches, during its summit in Brazil.

On 13 July 2007, Abune Paulos visited the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Egypt, met with Pope Shenouda III of Egypt.

Abune Paulos implemented a proposal to build a University in Entoto that would help to commemorate the millennium according to the Ethiopian calendar.

The Holy Synod and Abune Paulos appealed for the faithful to protect church heritages with a view to enabling them to be transferred to the next generation.

An act of Abune Paulos that caused much controversy was his advocacy of a pardon for the members of the Derg regime imprisoned in Ethiopia.

Abune Paulos died in Addis Ababa on 16 August 2012.

Lij Mulugeta Aserate Kassa, an adviser at the Ethiopian embassy in the United Kingdom, and a member of a cadet branch of Ethiopia's deposed Imperial family, noted that Abune Paulos had been in good health the previous day and had led a church service.

Abune Paulos later felt ill and was taken to Balcha Hospital, according to an independent Orthodox website, Deje Selam, where he died early in the following morning.

Abune Paulos was buried at Addis Ababa's Holy Trinity Cathedral on 23 August 2012.

Abune Paulos was a scholar and peace advocate and a former exile in the United States who has worked on reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

On 30 December 2008, Abune Paulos was awarded the Order of St Thomas by Catholicos of the East HH Baselios Marthoma Didymos I at Parumala Seminary, India.

Abune Paulos held talks with senior government officials and religious leaders during his five-day working visit to Khartoum and called for religious leaders to strengthen their efforts towards peace.

Abune Paulos served as a member of central committee of the World Council of Churches and the Faith and Order commission, and attended the Nairobi assembly.

Abune Paulos was one of the rare exceptionally educated Patriarchs in Ethiopian history because he had completed various degrees and received his doctoral degree at prestigious institutions.

Abune Paulos was one of the seven presidents of WCC as well.

Abune Paulos served as an Honorary President of Religions for Peace, the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, advancing common action among the world's religious communities for peace.

Abune Paulos was a Knight Grand Collar of The Order of The Eagle of Georgia and The Seamless Tunic of our Lord Jesus Christ, an order of the Royal family of Georgia.