Debre - Libanos facing a serious landslide

The grand monastery of Debre-Libanos is losing a good chunk of its sites due to a persistent landslide. Houses that sheltered pilgrims some four years back are no more present now for the landslide has wiped them away.

Since 2003, the monastery has been a victim of flood and overflowing rivers as a resulst of which most of the land is being transformed into escarpments. The shelters of monks, disciples and novices are being swept away.

According to Tsebatie Mehari Habte, head of the monastery, hundreds of houses have been demolished by the landslide. The shelters of twenty monks have been swept away only last year.

Disciples based there have indicated that the teaching - learning processes is seriously retarded for they have lost their shelters and other belongings.

In the last four years, the problem has grown worse. The four rivers within the watershed of which the monastery is located come with huge stones when ever they overflow their banks, the monastery's head says.

The landslide is now touching the building of the church itself and the monastery's community is really worried about the future.

Though a rescue effort is underway, it is said to be very costy and is beyond the financial capacity of the monastery. Currently, it is intended to overcome the challenge on an interim basis by changing the residencial areay of the monks. yet, the cause of utmost worry for the monks is that the church's building is very much liable to be hit by the powerful landslide.

Lique-Kahnat Harege woin Beyene has lived in the premises of the Monastery for many years. As to Him, his shelter narrowly escaped the landslide last year when that of his neighbours was gone. Now, he is observing a crack near his shelter and this is a precursor of the merciless slide as his own life experience could show.

The monastery has, by expending over 90,000 ETB, tried to build a terrace on the escarpment though this has failed to overcome the challenge.

Experts have estimated that the monastery needs to expend in millions to give a permanent soultion to the problem. This is far beyond the monetary capacity of the monastery, Tsebatie Mahari Habtie says.

Leave alone covering such a huge expense of millions, the monastery is finding it hard to supply the daily needed twelve quintals of grain to sustainably feed over 3250 community  members based there, the head has underscored.

He has called upon the government, NGO's and the faithful to exert a concerted effort to ransom the six centuries old monastery.

A successful Apostolic Tour

An apostolic tour covering thirteen dioceses of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has been held very successfully. Preachers and choir members have taken the initiative to conduct such a holy mission, the organisers have said. As they put it, the tour has lovingly interwoven the sermon-givers, choir members, archibishops of the dioceses, church heads and the faithful at large. Sekota, Kemissie, Woldeya, Harar, Jijiga, Agaro, Nekemt, Balie, Bedele, Dessie, Awassa, Butajira and Metu were the towns covered in the tour. Over one hundred sermon-givers and choir members have taken part in the three-days long /Nov. 23-25, 2007/ tour.

According to the organisers, the tour which has given the first opportunity of its kind for the sermon- givers and choir members to take an initiative of such a large scale operation was attended by tens of thousands of the faithful.

The tour was successful except that these were minor interferences of some individuals who failed to appreciate the very purpose of the operation, it was indicated.

Sermon- givers and choir members who took part in the tour have commented the need for some fellows to avoid divisive spirits of belonging keifa, or whosoever. The tour was, as they said, exemplary in sending a message of solidarity among servants of one church.

The faithful have on their part expressed their satisfaction over the tour in that it is helpful in safeguarding them from the undue influences of heresy and heathenism.

Preparations are underway to conduct a similar tour during the Lent in fourteen dioceses not covered in the first-round operation, the organizers have reported.

Praise be to God. Amen