Ethiopian Orthodox Church Patriarch dies [501817156] | African news, analysis and opinion – The Africa Report.com

Posted on Thursday, 16 August 2012 14:13

Ethiopian Orthodox Church Patriarch dies

  

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has announced the death of its patriarch, Abune Paulos.

 Paulos, whose full title was His Holiness Abune Paulos, Fifth Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Ichege of the See of St Tekle Haymanot, Archbishop of Axum, died early Thursday in Addis Ababa, aged 76.

The patriarch, who was one of the seven serving presidents of the World Council of Churches is said to have been taken ill a few weeks ago, but the cause of his death, is yet to be established.

Born in Adwa in Tigray Province of the northern part of the country, the patriarch did his education at the Theological College of the Holy Trinity in Addis Ababa under the patronage of Patriarch Abune Tewophilos.

He was sent to study at the St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in the United States and later undertook doctoral degree at Princeton Theological Seminary.

The patriarch also lived in exile in the United States.

Paulos, a renowned scholar and peace advocate, worked on the reconciliation process between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

He was one of the rare exceptionally educated patriarchs in Ethiopian history after completing various degrees, including his doctoral degree, at prestigious institutions.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.

About half of the Ethiopian population is estimated to be Orthodox Christians, and the Patriarch is likely to receive a state funeral.

UN food aid agency drops life-saving supplies for refugees in South Sudan

WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. Photo: WFP/Rein Skullerud

15 August 2012 – 

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) carried out the first in a series of airdrops to replenish rapidly diminishing food stocks for more than 100,000 people in South Sudan who have fled fighting in Sudan.On Wednesday afternoon, 32 metric tons of wheat was flown to refugee settlements in Maban County in the year-old nation’s Upper Nile State, WFP’s Executive Director, Ertharin Cousin, said in a statement. The UN official has been in the country for the past two days.
There are some 170,000 Sudanese refugees currently in South Sudan, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with more arriving from Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states every day after fleeing conflict and food shortages. Most of the new arrivals are dehydrated and malnourished.
Ms. Cousin, who has been meeting with refugees assisted by the WFP, said that today’s wheat shipment was flown in from Ethiopia and was enough to feed 2,100 people for a month, but the ultimate aim was to build resiliency.
“WFP’s goal is not just to meet the immediate needs of those we serve, but to work to ensure that these mothers can, in time, feed their own children,” she said “Building the resilience of the people is foremost in our minds as we work in partnership with the South Sudanese Government.”
South Kordofan and Blue Nile, which lie on the border with South Sudan, have been beset by fighting between Sudanese forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) since last year. The SPLM-N was previously part of the rebel movement that fought for the independence of South Sudan.

Olympic hero Farah meets British PM for hunger talks - Yahoo! Eurosport UK

Britain's double Olympic gold hero Mo Farah on Sunday helped launch a "hunger summit" aimed at tackling malnutrition worldwide, held at Prime Minister David Cameron's Downing Street residence.

Fresh from winning the 5,000-metre final on Saturday, Farah joined Cameron, Brazilian football legend Pele, famed Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrselassie and Vice President Michel Temer of Brazil, who co-hosted the event.

Taking advantage of the large number of foreign officials gathered in London for the Olympic Games, Cameron led the calls for the international community to help the 25 million children around the world suffering from stunted growth.

The prime minister called Farah and Gebrselassie "enormous role models" who could help raise the profile of the struggle against malnutrition.

"While people around the planet have been enjoying and competing in these Games, there's another world where children don't have enough to eat and never get the start in life they deserve," he said.

"We've a responsibility to tackle this. But the hard truth is that, while we've made huge strides in the last decade on things like education, malnutrition rates have stagnated."

Farah, 29, who was born in Somalia but moved to Britain at age eight, shook hands with the British premier outside Number 10 Downing Street before performing his distinctive "Mobot" celebration.

The athlete and his wife Tania set up the Mo Farah Foundation, which aims to build 50 wells, give a month's supply of food to at least 20,000 people and provide medical care to 40,000 by the end of the year.

He has also set aside the 250,000 pounds ($389,000) he won in a TV show earlier this year for the project -- and there is more to come.

"On the first of September I'm having a big charity auction for the Mo Farah Foundation," he said on Saturday.

Olympians including Ethiopian 10,000 metres gold medallist Tirunesh Dibaba and British long jump winner Greg Rutherford have signed an open letter urging Cameron to "fire the starting gun on the biggest ever push against hunger and malnutrition".

Cameron was set to pledge £120 million ($188 million, 153 million euros) for research into drought-resistant and vitamin-enhanced crops for Africa and South Asia.

The conference comes ahead of the closing ceremony of the London Olympics on Sunday, which will see the Olympic flame extinguished in the British capital and organisers hand over to the Rio 2016 team.

Olympic athletes back campaign against hunger - KansasCity.com

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LONDON -- A group of Olympic athletes from around the world on Sunday urged international leaders to tackle child malnutrition rates in poor countries.

Olympians including Ethiopian runner Tirunesh Dibaba and British long jumper Greg Rutherford, both gold medal winners at the London Games, were among athletes who wrote an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of a so-called "hunger summit" at the leader's residence in No.10 Downing Street.

The letter urged Cameron to prioritize a push against malnutrition when Britain takes the presidency of the G8 next year.

Cameron later told the summit that he is "determined" that Britain help change malnutrition rates.

"While people around the planet have been enjoying and competing in these Games, there's another world where children don't have enough to eat and never get the start in life they deserve," he said. "We've a responsibility to tackle this."

Sunday's summit brought together leaders from Brazil, Kenya, Bangladesh, India and Ireland. Also invited were Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrselassie, Brazilian football star Pele and newly-crowned double Olympic Champion Mo Farah.

Somalia-born Farah, who has set up his own charity to raise money to help the victims of the severe drought in the Horn of Africa, said that the issue of child hunger had "touched his heart" as he urged political leaders to tackle malnutrition in the poorest parts of the world.

"I'm lucky to have set up a new life here, and growing up here, after being in Somalia as a little boy," Farah said. "But there are kids out there facing hunger and starvation and we've got to do something about it.

Gebrselassie noted that Ethiopia had won three gold medals in London, saying "just imagine what my country could have achieved if half of our children weren't suffering from malnutrition."

Posted on Sun, Aug. 12, 2012 08:15 PM