This week in Christian history: Ethiopian Church leader killed, pope consecrated

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, July 24, 2022

Ethiopian Orthodox leader executed for opposing Mussolini – July 29, 1936

This week marks the anniversary of when Abune Petros, a leader in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, was executed for his opposition to the Fascist Italian occupation of Ethiopia.

Under the rule of Benito Mussolini, Italy invaded Ethiopia in May 1936, quickly overrunning the African nation due in large part to their better equipped armed forces.

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Petros had joined the resistance forces, and was captured in a failed attempt to liberate the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, being executed the following day.

“Ethiopian Orthodox patriarch Abune Petros became the symbol of resistance to Italian occupation,” noted the Ethiopian Review.

“When the Italians ordered him to stop his incitement, he replied: ‘The cry of my countrymen who died due to your nerve-gas and terror machinery will never allow my conscious to accept your ultimatum. How can I see my God if I give a blind eye to such a crime?’”