Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 056 | Tue 18 May 2010

Christianity came to Ethiopia-Eritrea in the early 4th Century, brought
into the court of King Ezana by two Syrian merchants, Frumentius and
Aedesius. Today Eritrea is around 50 percent Christian, with more than
90 percent of all Eritrean Christians belonging to the Eritrean
Orthodox Church (EOC). In recent decades a Biblical revival movement
known as ‘Medhane Alam’ (lit. Saviour of the World) has grown within
the EOC. While some priests and churches have been accommodating, even
open, others have resisted, some aggressively, forcing those seeking a
more evangelical Christianity to leave the EOC for Protestant
fellowships. The exodus has caused great angst in the hierarchy of the
EOC.

Following a second war with Ethiopia (1998-2000), the government
cracked down hard in 2001 on anything it viewed as a potential threat
to national unity. They cancelled elections, closed down all
independent media, rounded up and imprisoned their political opponents
and repressed all civil opposition. In May 2002, reportedly at the
behest of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the government also cracked
down on ‘foreign’ and ‘non-traditional’ religion, banning all churches
other than the state-sanctioned Muslim, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman
Catholic and Mekane Yesus (Evangelical Lutheran) denominations.

If the EOC thought it could support a cruel, totalitarian regime’s
religious repression and then trust that regime to protect it, then it
was naive indeed. By 2005 the regime was repressing the EOC, sending
its priests into military service, and removing and detaining
‘dissident’ priests who objected to the persecution of Medhane Alam.
When EOC Patriarch Abune Antonios protested the attacks on his own
church, he was removed from office (defrocked). He was placed under
house arrest in January 2006 and replaced with a government political
appointee, Mr Yoftahe Dimetros. Today the EOC — its priests,
properties, funds and historic manuscripts — is under the control of
the regime.

Eritrea is now one of the most repressive, human-rights-abusing states
in the world. The repression has created a refugee crisis, and many of
them are Christians. The Army has orders to shoot to kill anyone who
tries to flee across the border. An estimated 3000 Christians, mostly
Protestants, are in prison for their faith. Some are in military
prisons and some have been ‘disappeared’ into the State’s network of
secret underground prisons. Prison conditions are inhumane and torture
is routine. A number of Christians have died in custody and many others
have been crippled and scarred for life. Eritrean authorities arrested
eleven more Christians on 9 May. International Christian Concern
reports that Pastor Mesfin, Pastor Tekie and Mr Isaac and his four
children were arrested, as well as four women while conducting a prayer
meeting in a private home in the capital, Asmara. They are all members
of Faith Church of Christ which has existed in Eritrea since 1950 but
was banned in 2002.

Eritrea’s President Isayas Afewerki denies there is any religious
persecution in Eritrea. Because there is no free media, Eritrean
Christians have to risk their life and liberty to leak information of
their plight to the outside world.

WE PRAY THAT OUR SOVEREIGN GOD WILL:

* protect his besieged and threatened Church, hiding it in the shadow
of his wings (Psalm 17:8) ‘Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to
me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I
will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.’ (Psalm
57:1 ESV)

* use this time of trial to bring repentance and revival to the once
hostile Eritrean Orthodox and Catholic Churches and unity to the
body of Christ in Eritrea. ‘By this all people will know that you
are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ (John 13:35
ESV)

* bring down the Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki, a dictator who
thinks ‘There is no God’ (Psalm 10:4), and ‘I shall not be moved’
(v6). Lift up your hand Lord (v12) and call him to account (v13).

‘O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen
their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless
and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no
more’ (Psalm 10:17,18 ESV).

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

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RELENTLESS PERSECUTION IN ERITREA

The totalitarian regime of Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki banned
all religious groups — mainly Protestant — other than the state-
sanctioned Muslim, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Mekane Yesus
(Evangelical Lutheran) denominations in May 2002. Then the Eritrean
Orthodox Church was attacked during 2005 and by January 2006 was
entirely under the control of the regime. Today around 3000 mostly
Protestant Christians are in prison for their faith. Prison conditions
are inhumane and torture is routine. Some believers have died in
custody whilst many have been crippled and scarred for life. The regime
denies there is any religious persecution in Eritrea. Eritrea has no
free media and information on the plight of the Church is leaked out at
great personal risk. Please pray for the Church in Eritrea. (Psalm 10)

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC
team. Previous bulletins may be viewed at .

* For other articles, information and helpful links see Elizabeth
Kendal’s blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ at
.

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