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| Sr. Weynshet Tadesse. |
The Catholic Church in Ethiopia has continued to commit herself to rendering services both to Catholics and non-Catholics in the country despite the fact that they only constitute 1% of the total population in the country.
Speaking to AMECEA Online News a Comboni Missionary Sister, Sr. Weynshet Tadesse, who came to attend a training workshop organized by the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa-ACWECA, said there are over 60 religious congregations of both men and women working in Ethiopia in the various sectors which include health, social services, schools and other administrative structures.
The Catholic Church runs more than 200 schools in Ethiopia; mostly in the rural areas, and some in the cities. “We offer services to all Ethiopians without discrimination; our schools, some of which are the best in the country, are opened to all be it Muslim, Orthodox or Protestant children. The same applies to the hospitals run by the Catholic Church through religious congregations,” She said.
“We do not provide services so as to convert people to our faith as Catholics; our services are meant to benefit the people of Ethiopia just like any other country. It is what we are called for; to serve,” she said adding that “We are called to serve and to Evangelize Christ through our Services; issues to do with conversion from one faith to the other are purely personal and should not be influenced. Remember that as Christians, we are all called to be the salt and light of the earth. This is something that we try to do through our way of life; by being good examples to other and by reflecting Christ through our behaviors and actions towards others.”
Sr. Tadesse said that what matters is the joy to serve and the satisfaction you get from knowing that through the services you offer; you have improved the life of someone. “The Church stands for life. That is the spirit of religious life; the spirit to serve,” she said.
Ethiopia has the population of approximately 95,045,679; Christians make up 60% of the population and The Catholics are only 1%. However, the Catholic Church runs about 90% of all the social services in the country.
Source: AMECEA Social Communications