Eritrean Catholic Church

  • Home
  • Catholic Rites
Details

Eritrean Catholic Church

Kidanemhret Catholic Church, Asmara, Eritrea.jpg

Kidane Mehret CathedralAsmara

Classification Oriental Catholic
Polity Episcopal
Governance Metropolitanate
Pope Francis
Leader Metropolitan Menghesteab Tesfamariam,
Archbishop of Asmara
Region Eritrea
Liturgy Alexandrian Rite
Headquarters Asmara
Origin 19 January 2015
Branched from Ethiopian Catholic Church (2015)
Members 167,722 (2017)

 

The Eritrean Catholic Church (LatinEcclesia Catholica ErythraeaTigrinya: ኤርትራዊት ቤተ ክርስቲያን, romanized: Chiesa Eritrea) is a metropolitan sui iuris Eastern particular church headquartered in AsmaraEritrea. It was established in 2015 by separation of its territory from that of the Ethiopian Catholic Church and the setting up in that territory of a new sui iuris metropolitan Eastern Catholic Church. It follows the Ge'ez form of the Alexandrian liturgical rite. Its strictly-speaking official name is "The Asmara metropolitan sui iuris Church".

Like the other Eastern Catholic Churches, the Eritrean Catholic Church is in full communion with the Holy See. It holds to the Christological definition taught at the Council of Chalcedon and accepts the universal jurisdiction of the Pope. These points distinguish it from the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which is an Oriental Orthodox church comprising most Christians in the country. Like the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Catholic Church follows the Ethiopic liturgical rite in the Ge'ez language, a Semitic language which fell out of common use several centuries ago. This rite is based on the Coptic Church liturgy.

 

Go to website