To His Holiness Abune Antonios, Patriarch of Eritrea, Our Dear Holy Father,

First and foremost, please accept our wish and constant prayer that God may grant you health and long life.

It is by now clear that ever since Eritrea became independent and sovereign, God has enabled the followers of our church within and outside of our country to come together with new vigor. With the veil of colonial oppression lifted, our people everywhere have been able to worship in their own languages.

As a reflection of these new-found freedoms, followers of the Orthodox Tewahdo Church across North America, on their own initiative, have been organizing themselves into churches. Through the leadership of the clergy that the Orthodox Church has sent them over the past several years, the faithful have been able to preserve their spiritual values, language and culture. In the last seven years, owing to the unyielding efforts of the laypeople and the clergy of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, the number of churches in the North American Diocese has grown from 5 to 19. Five others are in the process of being organized. These 24 churches, comprising a total of 13,000 members, are providing spiritual sustenance, training and other services.

Moreover, as a result of the unity and sacrifice of the faithful, many of the established congregations have bought property that is today worth millions of dollars. Those that haven't acquired church buildings as yet are working hard to accomplish this sacred and worthwhile endeavor. As mentioned above, these accomplishments could not have come to pass without the blessings of God and the dedication and unity of the faithful in every locality.

While we have been eye-witnesses to the above mentioned great developments, there have also been some individuals within the church who could never appreciate the great work God has been doing among us. These elements have always been aware that our unity under God is our strength. Not only have these individuals habitually played the role of spoilers, but have consistently opposed the resuscitation of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church. What is more disheartening to us is the fact that these people who leave no stone unturned to sow discord among us to try to weaken our resolve are indeed in the very bosoms of the Church.

As you will recall, we had requested, as is customary, that the Patriarchate send us representatives from among our holy fathers to give blessings at the convening of the 7 th Annual Conference of the North American Diocese of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church that was held July 27-31, 2005 at the Medhane Alem Orthodox Church in Washington D.C. However, we were given no information as to who among our holy fathers would be coming to represent His Holiness Abune Antonios and the Synod. On the contrary, in total disregard to the accepted standard procedure, we learned through rumors that someone whose identity remained secret would be coming over. And no arrangement was made with the Diocese to receive the unidentified guest.

What we find heart-breaking is the fact that our holy father, Abune Lukas, bishop of Gash Barka, who is quite unfamiliar with the language and culture of the United States being sent here alone without any letter of introduction from His Holiness, our Patriarch, Abune Antonios. We were quite astounded by his unexpected appearance right in the middle of the evening sermon. Two days later, Abune Lukas requested to deliver what he deceptively referred to as “greetings from the Synod”. In spite of the irregular manner of our father's arrival and in deference to him, we relented and gave him the lecturn to deliver his message.

As it turned out, the “greetings of the Synod” was no greeting at all. Normally, the message of a bishop would have been received warmly. But since one of the central objectives of the message Abune Lukas read became apparent, the congregants were simply aghast. Using the power and authority of certain members of the Synod, the message Abune Lukas read was targeted at and cast aspersion on one of the most dedicated individuals of the diocese who has accomplished so much for our Church. It was indeed a very sad moment.

The second but primary objective of the message Abune Lukas read was to render the leadership of the North American Diocese of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, which has managed to bring the faithful in strong bond of unity, null and void. It was clearly designed to sap the Diocese's resolve and energy, to turn the clock back on the tremendous gains that our Church has made over such a short period of time, and to arrest our phenomenal growth. Simply put, the message intended to demoralize the work of the Diocese. On our part, we believe that the sole individual who is responsible for this entire evil machination is one who has usurped the highest authority in the very center of our beloved Church. And when such a person is bent in destroying our church from within, we will not sit idly by.

We would like one point to be abundantly clear. The one demand of the North American Diocese is this: all our work be governed by the customary rules and standard of procedure. That directives come from above and be received at the lower level is not a disputable matter. All must work within the guidelines of their respective duties and responsibilities. However, the directives that come from above should have a clear line of delineation. They must be transmitted through the proper channels, and they should not be contradictory, changing from one day to the next. The directives and messages we have been receiving so far are ever changing and contradict one another. The decisions that have been taken concerning Keshi Tsigie are a case in point.

The recent Conference of the Diocese of North America took up the above situation for discussion. Subsequently, it has resolved that all messages coming from the Synod, as is clearly stipulated in the Constitution of our Church, be signed by His Holiness, the Patriarch of Eritrea. Based on this decision, we would like it to be known that the undersigned representatives of the Churches in North America have agreed on the following principles.

The only properly constituted authority we accept is His Holiness Abune Antonios. And this principled stand is based on the Canon of our Church. From this day forward, let it be known that the Dioceses of North America will not acknowledge any directives coming to us without being accompanied by the proper seal and signature of our Patriarch, His Holiness Abune Antonios.

Furthermore, we will not acknowledge any letter signed by Mr. Yoftahe Dimetros. Mr. Yoftahe Dimetros, in our opinion, has taken upon himself the high position he holds in our Church illegally and in utter disregard to the Constitution of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church. According to Article 32, “The Holy Synod consists of bishops. It elects two bishops periodically from its members to conduct the Church's day to day affairs. The Holy Synod, under the chairmanship of the Patriarch, acts as the administrative body of the Church. The Patriarch serves as the chief administrator of this body. The Synod approves and carries out laws passed by the Holy Synod”. Pray tell, is Mr. Yoftahe a bishop? Absolutely not!

It is clear that Mr. Yoftahe Dimetros has usurped the position he holds as the Administrator of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church in contravention of the above Article. Mr. Yoftahe has, furthermore, consistently shown his determination through a series of illegal actions he has undertaken, whatever his reasons may be, to sow discord among the 13,000 adherents of the faithful that are organized in the 24 churches in our Diocese.

Article 96 clearly states that “The Patriarch SHALL appoint a Secretary to the Patriarchate. Such a person shall be one with an exemplary spiritual life, one who has attained a high degree of modern education, and a demonstrated administrative capacity. Furthermore, the Secretary will come from the ranks of the clergy.” This we believe to be of high relevance here. Mr. Yoftahe is a layperson, not a clergy. Moreover, he was not appointed by the Patriarch. Consequently, on these firm grounds, we call upon the immediate removal of Mr. Yoftahe from the illegal position he holds, and be replaced with one who fulfills the above mentioned criteria, someone who has the interest of the Church and her sacred mission at heart.

May God grant our Church his peace and grace.

July 30, 2005