When Humanity Is Lost: A Christian Call to Stand Against Evil in Ethiopia

Part 6: When Humanity Is Lost: A Christian Call to Stand Against Evil in Ethiopia

Ethiopia bleeds. Across our land, Christians are persecuted and massacred simply for their faith. Children are raped, kidnapped, and murdered. Young women suffer rape and murder. Adults are abducted and killed. Families live in constant fear. Churches are burned, and priests are slain before the altar.

These are not random crimes — they are deep wounds in the very soul of our nation. They profoundly damage the moral, spiritual, and emotional core of the country. The nation suffers not just in bodies, but in its values, faith, and sense of humanity. These crimes leave a lasting scar (ጠባሳ) on the collective conscience (ሕሊና) and identity (ማንነት) of the people. It is as if the heart of the nation itself is being injured, not just its citizens. As Orthodox Christians, remaining silent in such a moment is not an option. To stay silent in the face of evil is to side with it.

This reflection is written from an Orthodox Christian perspective — a call to every believer, clergy and laity alike, toward repentance, courage, and action. It draws upon Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Church Fathers to offer a faithful response rooted in mercy, truth, and justice — so that in opposing evil, we may stand as true witnesses of Christ’s light in a darkened world.

1. When Humanity Is Lost

To kill, rape, or persecute (ማሳደድ) the innocent (ንጹሐን) is not only a crime — it is a rebellion against God Himself. Such acts violate the divine image placed within every human person; “እግዚአብሔርም አለ፦ ሰውን በመልካችን እንደ ምሳሌአችን እንፍጠር::” (Genesis 1:26).

Such acts are the work of darkness — of demonic hostility against humanity and against God’s goodness.

Christ Himself warns:

“በእኔም ከሚያምኑ ከነዚህ ከታናናሾቹ አንዱን የሚያሰናክል ሁሉ፥ የወፍጮ ድንጋይ በአንገቱ ታስሮ ወደ ጥልቅ ባሕር መስጠም ይሻለው ነበር። (Matthew 18:6)

God does not ignore such crimes. Nor must we.

“እግዚአብሔር ቀናተኛና ተበቃይ አምላክ ነው፤ እግዚአብሔር ተበቃይና መዓትን የተሞላ ነው፤ እግዚአብሔር ተቃዋሚዎቹን ይበቀላል፥ ለጠላቶቹም ቍጣውን ይጠብቃል።” (Nahum 1:2–3)

2. The Persecution of Christians in Ethiopia

Ethiopia — one of the world’s oldest Christian nations — now witnesses the shedding of innocent Christian blood. Some groups target the faithful with violence (ጭካኔ), humiliation (ማዋረድ), and terror (ሽብር). Priests and monks are killed, churches damaged, and believers are violently killed, child and women are raped and murdered.

This persecution is not new in Christian history; however, this moment demands that we face it with spiritual strength and moral understanding of right and wrong.

Our brothers and sisters, child and women who die for Christ and their vulnerability (ተጋላጭነት) are modern martyrs. Their blood is a prayer that cries out for both justice and repentance.

“በታላቅ ድምፅም እየጮኹ፦ ቅዱስና እውነተኛ ጌታ ሆይ፥ እስከ መቼ ድረስ አትፈርድም ደማችንንስ በምድር በሚኖሩት ላይ እስከ መቼ አትበቀልም? አሉ። ለእያንዳንዳቸውም ነጭ ልብስ ተሰጣቸው፥ እንደ እነርሱም ደግሞ ይገደሉ ዘንድ ያላቸው የባሪያዎች ባልንጀራዎቻቸውና የወንድሞቻቸው ቍጥር እስኪፈጸም ድረስ፥ ገና ጥቂት ዘመን እንዲያርፉ ተባለላቸው።” (Revelation 6:10-11)

3. Scripture Calls Us to Act

The Word of God leaves no room for indifference in the face of evil.

Defend for the weak:

"ለድሆችና ለድሀ አደጎች ፍረዱ፤ ለችግረኛውና ለምስኪኑ ጽድቅ አድርጉ፤ ብቸኛውንና ችግረኛውን አድኑ፤ ከኃጢአተኞችም እጅ አስጥሉአቸው።” (Psalm 82:3)

Seek justice (ፍትሕ):

 “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.” “ መልካም መሥራትን ተማሩ፥ ፍርድን ፈልጉ፥ የተገፋውን አድኑ፥ ለድሀ አደጉ ፍረዱለት ስለ መበለቲቱም ተምዋገቱ።” (Isaiah 1:17)

Overcome evil with good:

“ክፉውን በመልካም አሸንፍ እንጂ በክፉ አትሸነፍ።” (Romans 12:21)

Living in the Gospel means to actively support, comfort, and advocate for those who are in pain, oppressed (የተጨቆኑ), or marginalized (የተገለሉ), to speak against injustice, and to protect life. It implies solidarity, empathy (ራስን በተጎጂው ቦታ ላይ አድርጎ ማሰብ), and willingness to share in their struggles rather than remaining indifferent or distant.

4. The Fathers of the Church on Justice and Mercy

The Holy Fathers never separated faith from works.

St. John Chrysostom emphasized:

"To ignore the suffering of others is to turn away from Christ Himself."

The Fathers remind us that indifference (ግድየለሽነት) is sin. As members of society, all people—including government officials—have a responsibility to oppose evil and injustice. Defending for the weak and rescuing the oppressed are not optional acts of kindness; they are sacraments of mercy through which we serve Christ Himself:

“…ተርቤ አብልታችሁኛልና፥ ተጠምቼ አጠጥታችሁኛልና፥ እንግዳ ሆኜ ተቀብላችሁኛልና፥ ታርዤ አልብሳችሁኛልና፥ ታምሜ ጠይቃችሁኛልና፥ ታስሬ ወደ እኔ መጥታችኋልና። (Matthew 25:35–36)

It is when we faithfully carry out this divine responsibility that we will hear these blessed words from Christ Himself on the Day of Judgment

5. Mercy and Justice: The Orthodox Way

True Orthodox faith balances mercy (ምሕረት) with justice (ፍትሕ). To forgive does not mean to ignore crime. To show compassion (ርኅራኄ) does not mean to accept evil. Christ’s mercy is always truthful — He forgave the sinner but condemned the sin.

"ኢየሱስም ቀና ብሎ ከሴቲቱ በቀር ማንንም ባላየ ጊዜ፦ አንቺ ሴት፥ እነዚያ ከሳሾችሽ ወዴት አሉ? የፈረደብሽ የለምን? አላት። እርስዋም፦ ጌታ ሆይ፥ አንድ ስንኳ አለች። ኢየሱስም፦ እኔም አልፈርድብሽም፤ ሂጂ ከአሁንም ጀምሮ ደግመሽ ኃጢአት አትሥሪ አላት::"

Therefore, the Church, Christians and nations’ leaders must:

Mourn with victims and families.

Condemn evil clearly and publicly.

Support survivors with healing, shelter, and care.

Demand justice from those in authority.

Pray for the repentance of those who have done these things.

Without these, the nation as a whole loses its moral identity and risks being consumed by lack of control, corruption, and the darkness of negligence, which collapse several countries across the globe.

6. Murder and Rape: Sins That Cry to Heaven

Among the gravest sins that corrupt both earth and heaven are murder and rape — especially against children, women, and the defenseless. These are not merely human crimes; they are spiritual blasphemies—attack against God’s work, rebellions against God Himself, for they damage His image in man.

“የሰውን ደም የሚያፈስስ ሁሉ ደሙ ይፈስሳል፤ ሰውን በእግዚአብሔር መልክ ፈጥሮታልና።” (Genesis 9:6). These are not human words—they are the living and unchanging word of God.

“ለቀደሙት፦ አትግደል እንደ ተባለ ሰምታችኋል፤ የገደለም ሁሉ ፍርድ ይገባዋል። እኔ ግን እላችኋለሁ፥ በወንድሙ ላይ የሚቆጣ ሁሉ ፍርድ ይገባዋል፤ ወንድሙንም ጨርቃም የሚለው ሁሉ የሸንጎ ፍርድ ይገባዋል፤ ደንቆሮ የሚለውም ሁሉ የገሃነመ እሳት ፍርድ ይገባዋል።” (Matthew 5:21–22)

In this verse, Christ emphasized that—let alone those who kill—even those who call their brother “fool” or “worthless” are deserving of hell’s judgment.

Violence (ጭካኔ) begins in the heart — in hatred (ጥላቻ), anger, and lust — and reaches its full horror when it manifests in rape or murder. Each act destroys the victim’s life and condemns the sinner’s soul.

The Cry of the Innocent

The cry of spilled blood (የሚፈስ ደም ልቅሶ) reaches the throne of God.

 “…አለውም፦ ምን አደረግህ? የወንድምህ የደሙ ድምፅ ከምድር ወደ እኔ ይጮኻል። አሁንም የወንድምህን ደም ከእጅህ ለመቀበል አፍዋን በከፈተች በምድር ላይ አንተ የተረገምህ ነህ። ምድርንም ባረስህ ጊዜ እንግዲህ ኃይልዋን አትሰጥህም፤ በምድርም ላይ ኰብላይና ተቅበዝባዥ ትሆናለህ።” (Genesis 4:10)

This verse clearly declares that those who commit sins such as murder and rape (spiritual murder) will not enjoy the life they desire; instead, they bring upon themselves a life of judgment, unrest, and the consequences of their evil deeds.

The blood of children and women violated and killed in our land cries out against this generation. Those who commit sins such as murder and rape should remember that one day they will reap the consequences of their actions—whether in their children, families, relatives, or themselves. This is not a mere saying; as God’s Word declares:

“አትሳቱ፤ እግዚአብሔር አይዘበትበትም። ሰው የሚዘራውን ሁሉ ያንኑ ደግሞ ያጭዳልና::' (Galatians 6:7)

St. Cyprian of Carthage wrote:

 “Blood unjustly shed cannot remain silent; it cries out to God until justice is done.”

No government, no society, no Church, no Christian can remain righteous while ignoring the tears of the victims.

The Sin of Rape

Rape is a violent violation (ጭካኔ የተሞላበት ጥሰት) of another person’s body and spirit. It is not desire — it is cruelty, domination (ጉልበተኝነት፣ የበላይነት), and spiritual murder.

“ርኩስን ነገር ስለ ሠሩ አፍረዋልን? ምንም አላፈሩም፥ እፍረትንም አላወቁም፤ ስለዚህ ከሚወድቁ ጋር ይወድቃሉ፤ በጐበኘኋቸው ጊዜ ይዋረዳሉ፥ ይላል እግዚአብሔር፡፡” (Jeremiah 6:15).

The Scripture is very clear that those who commit such abominations (አስጸያፊ ተግባሮች) will fall and be brought low before God.

St. Gregory of Nyssa taught:

“When desire enslaves another person’s body, it becomes a murder of the soul (የነፍስ ግድያ).”

St. John Chrysostom said:

“Those who corrupt the innocent offend God Himself, for they have defiled His temple.”

“ወይስ ሥጋችሁ ከእግዚአብሔር የተቀበላችሁት በእናንተ የሚኖረው የመንፈስ ቅዱስ ቤተ መቅደስ እንደ ሆነ አታውቁምን? በዋጋ ተገዝታችኋልና ለራሳችሁ አይደላችሁም፤ ስለዚህ በሥጋችሁ እግዚአብሔርን አክብሩ።” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

To defile (ማርከስ) the temple of God— human bodies— through rape or abuse is a direct assault on the Holy Spirit dwelling in the victim.

Consequences on Earth and in Heaven

The consequences of such sins are grave — both temporal and eternal. On earth, they destroy families, communities, and peace. Before God, they bring a serious judgment (ፍርድ).

“በዚያን ጊዜ ኢየሱስ እንዲህ አለው፦ ሰይፍ የሚያነሡ ሁሉ በሰይፍ ይጠፋሉና ሰይፍህን ወደ ስፍራው መልስ።” (Matthew 26:52). This verse testifies that those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. This is the true Word of God, unchanging through all generations.

Similarly Proverbs 6:16-17 states,  “እግዚአብሔር የሚጠላቸው ስድስት ነገሮች ናቸው፥ ሰባትንም ነፍሱ አጥብቃ ትጸየፈዋለች፤ ትዕቢተኛ ዓይን፥ ሐሰተኛ ምላስ፥ ንጹሕን ደም የምታፈስስ እጅ፥ ክፉ አሳብን የሚያበቅል ልብ፥ ወደ ክፉ የምትሮጥ እግር፥ በሐሰት የሚናገር ሐሰተኛ ምስክር፥ በወንድማማች መካከልም ጠብን የሚዘራ።”

These verses make it clear that those who shed the blood of the innocent are deeply disliked by God. Such acts are not only crimes against humanity but abominations (ጸያፍ) before Him, carrying both earthly consequences and divine judgment.

“ወይስ ዓመፀኞች የእግዚአብሔርን መንግሥት እንዳይወርሱ አታውቁምን? አትሳቱ፤ ሴሰኞች ቢሆን ወይም ጣዖትን የሚያመልኩ ወይም አመንዝሮች ወይም ቀላጮች ወይም ከወንድ ጋር ዝሙት የሚሠሩ ወይም ሌቦች ወይም ገንዘብን የሚመኙ ወይም ሰካሮች ወይም ተሳዳቢዎች ወይም ነጣቂዎች የእግዚአብሔርን መንግሥት አይወርሱም።” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10)

In this verse, it is stated that those who rebel against humanity—which is, in essence, rebellion against God—do not inherit the kingdom of God.

St. Basil the Great wrote:

 “Murder, whether by hand or by the corruption of another’s purity, cries for divine justice.”

St. John Climacus also said that:

 “The tears of the oppressed ascend before the Lord faster than any prayer.”

Unless there is a genuine repentance, those who harm the innocent will stand before Christ, the Judge, who will say:

“በዚያን ጊዜ በግራው ያሉትን ደግሞ ይላቸዋል፦ እናንተ ርጉማን፥ ለሰይጣንና ለመላእክቱ ወደ ተዘጋጀ ወደ ዘላለም እሳት ከእኔ ሂዱ። (Matthew 25:41)

7. A Call to Repentance and Renewal

Even amid darkness, the Church proclaims that there is forgiveness if the sinner truly repents. Saul the persecutor (አሳዳጅ) became Paul the Apostle. The thief on the cross entered Paradise by one act of faith.

But repentance must be genuine — not mere words, but a true transformation of heart and life. It requires confession (መጸጸት, መናዘዝ), reparation (ከካህን የሚሰጥ የንስሐ ቀኖና), and a complete turning away from evil acts, once and for all.

St. Isaac the Syrian said:

“He who has truly repented feels in his heart the torment (ስቃይ) of every sin, as if it were fire.” Meaning: they feel the weight and seriousness of their wrongdoing in their heart.

Healing — for victims, for criminals, and for our nation — begins when truth is faced, justice is sought, and mercy is embraced.

8. Let Ethiopia Hear

Ethiopia bleeds — yet the Cross still stands. The same Cross that once sanctified our land now calls us again: To repentance, to righteousness, and to the defense of the innocent.

Let no one say, “It is not my concern.”

“ነገር ግን ፍርድ እንደ ውኃ፥ ጽድቅም እንደማይደርቅ ፈሳሽ ይፍሰስ።” (Amos 5:24) emphasizing that God desires justice and righteousness above all things.

May the Lord heal our nation, comfort the afflicted, and awaken every conscience —
so that mercy and justice may once again dwell together upon this land.