Category: Statements

31 October 2025 – The Crown Council of Ethiopia expresses its shock and deep sadness at the news of the massacre of 25 innocent members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Arsi Archdiocese within the Oromia Federal State.  In recent years the targeted killing of Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia has become a regular occurrence.  Just this past June there was news of a massacre of monks at the Debre Kewakibt Ziquala monastery, and there have been numerous other instances in recent years.  We urge the authorities to take steps to protect the faithful from those elements who continue to persecute and kill people, targeting them on the basis of religion, ethnicity or any other criteria.  The right to live and worship peacefully is a basic human right that must be upheld.  May God repose the souls of those who have been killed, and may He comfort the bereaved.

May Almighty God protect Ethiopia and her people.

H.I.H. Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie
President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia

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የኢትዮጵያ ዘውድ ምክር ቤት በኦሮምያ ክልል ውስጥ በሚገኘው አርሲ አገረ ስብከት የተፈጸመው አስደንጋጭ እና አሰቃቂ የ፳፭ ኦርቶዶክሳዊያን ግድያ እንዳሳዘነው ይገልጻል። በአለፉት ዓመታት የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ተከታዮች ላይ ያነጣጠረ ግድያ ሲደጋገም ታይቷል። ባለፈው ሰኔ ወር እንደዚሁ በደብረ ከዋክብት ዝቋላ ገዳም የሚገኙ መነኮሳትም እንደዚሁ መገደላቸውን እናስታውሳለን። በተመሳሳይ ሁነታ እንደዚህ ያሉ ግድያዎች ባለፉት ዓመታት ተደጋግመዋል። የሚመለከታቸው አካላት ምዕመናንን በሐይማኖት እና በብሔር ለይተው ከሚያንገላቱ እና ነፍስ ከሚያጠፉ እንዲጠብቋቸው እናሳስባለን። ሐይማኖትን በነፃነት እየተከተሉ መኖር ከሰብአዊ መብቶች ዋነኞች መሃል በመሆኑ ሊጠበቅ ይገባል። እግዚአብሔር የሙታኑን ነፍስ ይማርልን። ያዘኑትንም ጽናቱን ይስጥልን።

ኃያሉ እግዚአብሔር ኢትዮጵያን እና ሕዝቧን ይጠብቅልን።

ልዑል ኤርምያስ ሣሕለ ሥላሴ ኃይለ ሥላሴ የዘውድ ምክር ቤት ፕሬዝዳንት

30 October 2025 – The Crown Council of Ethiopia expresses its sympathies, concern and solidarity for the people of Jamaica and the Caribbean region impacted by Hurricane Melissa. This Hurricane is the strongest ever to hit the island of Jamaica on record and is currently still impacting other islands in the region. While the full impact of this storm has not been assessed, it is clear that the storm has already had a devastating effect on lives and property.

This natural disaster will require a great deal of work mobilizing recovery efforts on an international level. The Crown Council and its affiliated organizations will do everything they can to assist in this effort. We call on all Caribbean nations, and all African and diaspora communities to join us in this task.

We pray for a swift and full recovery for the people of Jamaica and for all the people of the region impacted by this storm. May God be with you all.

H.I.H. Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie
President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia

27 October 2025 – His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, as President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, has sent a letter of condolences to His Majesty Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), King of Thailand, on the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Siritkit, the Queen Mother. Her Late Majesty was the widow of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), and mother to the current King. Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, passed away on October 24th, 2025 in Bangkok.

His Imperial Highness recalled the long ties of friendship between the Imperial House of Ethiopia and the Royal House of Thailand, particularly the state visit of his grandfather Emperor Haile Selassie I to Thailand in 1968 when he was hosted by their Late Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand. He also recalled meeting Queen Sirikit along with His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn (Crown Prince at the time) during their visit to Washington DC in 2002.

His Imperial Highness offered his most sincere condolences to His Majesty the King, to royal family, and all the people of Thailand at this sad time. May Her Majesty’s memory be eternal.

21 October 2025 – It is with great sorrow that the Crown Council of Ethiopia marks the passing of Grand Mufti Haji Umer Idris, the former President of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Ethiopia. Known widely as “Haji Mufti” he was very deeply revered not just in the Muslim community, but across all faiths in Ethiopia. This fact is underlined by the vast crowds of people of every faith who paid their respects to him yesterday at his funeral. Grand Mufti Haji Umer Idris was a voice for love, unity, morality, mutual respect, good neighborliness, and patriotism. He displayed the very essence of what it meant to be a good Ethiopian, and a person of faith. His wisdom, wit, and kindness will be deeply missed by all. We join with all people of faith in our country in mourning this deeply holy man. We extend our sincere condolences to his family, to the Muslim community, and share the grief of the entire Ethiopian people at the loss of a national elder. May he rest in peace.

God bless Ethiopia.

Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie Haile Selassie, President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia

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የኢትዮጵያ ዘውድ ምክር ቤት የታላቁን አባት የኢትዮጵያ እስልምና ጉዳዮች ምክር ቤት ፕሬዝዳንት የነበሩት የተቀዳሚ ሙፍቲ ሐጂ ዑመር ኢድሪስ ዜና እረፍት የተሰማንን ጥልቅ ሐዘን ልንገልጽ እንወዳለን። “ሐጂ ሙፍቲ” ተብለው የሚታወቁትና ከመላው የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ታላቅ ከበሬታ ያተረፉት ከሙስሊሙ ማህበረሰብ ብቻ ሳይሆን ከሁሎም ቤተ እምነት ተከታይዎች ነው። ተቀዳሚ ሙፍቲ ሐጂ ዑመር ኢድሪስ ለፍቅር፥ ለአንድነት፥ ለሥነ ምግባር፥ ለመከባበር፥ ለጥሩ ጎረቤትነት፥ ለሀገር ወዳድነት ድምጽ ነበሩ። የጥሩ ኢትዮጵያዊነት እና የጥሩ አማኝነት ምሳሌ ነበሩ። በሳልነታቸው፥ ጥበባዊነታቸው፥ እና ደግነታቸው መቼም አይረሳም። መጽናናትን ለቤተሰባቸው እና ለመላው ሙስሊም ማህበረሰብ እንመኛለን። ከመላው የአገራችን ሕዝብ ጋር የእኚህ ታላቅ የአገር ሽማግሌ መለየት ምክንያት በደረሰብን ሐዘን ተካፋዮች መሆናችንን እንገልጻለን። ፈጣሪ ነፍሳቸውን ያሳርፍልን።

እግዚአብሔር ኢትዮጵያን ይባርክ።

ልዑል ኤርምያስ ሣሕለ ሥላሴ የዘውድ ምክር ቤት ፕሬዝዳንት።

ADDIS ABABA 7 October 2025 – His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile Selassie prepared a recorded video greeting for the 75th Anniversary celebration of the YMCA in Ethiopia.

3 October 2025 – It is with deep sorrow that we note the terrible loss of 36 and injury of over 200 people on October 1st, 2025, at the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary at Arerti, in the district of Minjar-Shenkora, North Shewa Zone. The wood scaffolding inside the church, which is currently under construction, collapsed while numerous people were touring the site on the occasion of the Feast Day known popularly as “Bizuhan Mariam or St. Mary of the Multitude.” The dead and injured included many children and elderly people.

We pray that the Almighty Creator repose the souls of the dead in paradise, that He grant a swift recovery to the injured, and consolation to the bereaved.

Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie Haile Selassie, President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia.

25 September 2025 – His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia and Patron of the Royal Ethiopian Trust was honored to exchange greetings and enter into an agreement of mutual recognition and friendship with the Imperial House of Brazil. Letters of recognition were exchanged between Prince Ermias and His Excellency Don Marco de Guadamillas y Cortes, Grand Chancellor of the Imperial House of Brazil.

His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias also bestowed the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Seal of Solomon upon His Imperial and Royal Highness Dom Pedro Thiago, Prince Imperial of Brazil (Petropolis Claim). His Imperial and Royal Highness Dom Pedro Thiago of Bourbon-Orleans and Braganza granted Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Dom Pedro I.

Formerly a colony of the Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil became the seat of the Portuguese monarchy in 1808 when the royal family fled from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro following the conquest by Napoleon I. King João VI of Portugal returned to Lisbon, leaving his son Dom Pedro in Brazil. When Brazil declared independence from Portugal in 1822, Dom Pedro was proclaimed Emperor Pedro I. Brazil remained an Empire until 1889 when the monarchy was abolished and the country became a republic. While Ethiopia has had a long relationship with Brazil beginning in the 20^th century, this is the first time that the two Imperial Houses have exchanged honors and courtesies.

This historic occasion took place at the United Nations Headquarters during its General Assembly and events marking the 80^th Anniversary of the founding of the UN.

23 September 2025 – His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selasse, President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia and Patron of the Royal Ethiopian Trust paid a visit to New York City on the occasion of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and the commemoration of the 80^th Anniversary of the U.N.  His Imperial Highness was accompanied by his wife, Princess Saba Kebede.  Their Imperial Highnesses took part in several commemorative events during this historic occasion.

It is to be remembered that Ethiopia was a founding member of the United Nations and was one of only four African states to sign the charter during its founding summit in San Francisco, California in 1945.  The four African states who attended this summit and signed the charter were the Empire of Ethiopia, the Kingdom of Egypt, the Republic of Liberia and the Union of South Africa.  The Ethiopian delegation was headed by Prime Minister Ras Bitwoded Makonnen Endalkachew and included Ato (later Tsehafi Ta’ezaz) Aklilu Hapte Wold, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Ato Ambaye Wolde Mariam, Vice Minister of Justice; Blatta Ephrem Tewelde Medhin (Envoy to the United States); Ato Emmanuel Abraham, Director General of the Ministry of Education; and Ato Menasse Lemma, Director General of the Ministry of Finance.

It is to be remembered that Ethiopia was previously a member of the League of Nations.  However, the failure of the League to uphold the doctrine of collective security during the invasion by fascist ruled Italy showed the weakness of that organization and emboldened the Axis powers to launch acts of conquest that resulted in World War II.  His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I was the only head of state to ever address the League of Nations to appeal for the doctrine of collective security to be upheld.  Prophetically, the Emperor told the League that failure to protect Ethiopia would result in other members becoming victims of aggression as well. 

It was important to Ethiopia that it participate in a new international body that would uphold the doctrine of collective security, and it was important for the United Nations that the first victim of the failures of the League be a charter member of the UN.  Ethiopia has been an active member of the United Nations community ever since joining as a charter member.  Ethiopia hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa at Addis Ababa’s Africa Hall, and has also played an important role in peacekeeping missions around the world.

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia visited and spoke at the United Nations Headquarters for the first time during his first state visit to the United States in 1954 and visited again in 1963 and 1967. 

 

16 September 2025 – It is with profound sorrow that we mourn the loss of His Excellency Dr. Minassie Haile, a towering states-man, diplomat, and servant of Ethiopia. His departure marks the loss of one of the last great pillars of an era when our nation’s voice carried strength and moral clarity on the world stage.

Dr. Minassie Haile devoted his life to the service of Ethiopia with exemplary dignity, wisdom, and patriotism. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, as a trusted spokesperson of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, and as a leading advocate within the Organization of African Unity, he helped shape and preserve Ethiopia’s diplomatic legacy. Through his vision and eloquence, he ensured that Ethiopia stood not only as a guardian of her own sovereignty, but also as a beacon of freedom and African solidarity.

He served His Imperial Majesty with fidelity, and his eloquent representation of Ethiopia’s position on international issues upheld the highest ideals of truth, justice, and peace. In his stewardship of our diplomacy, Ethiopia’s role as a founding force for African unity and independence was safeguarded and highly respected.

Dr. Minassie’s eloquence and vision on the world stage reflected the highest ideals of our nation. He accompanied His Imperial Majesty on numerous historic state visits, including the landmark journey to Jamaica in 1966, where Ethiopia’s presence inspired and uplifted a people deeply connected to our ancient heritage. He also stood alongside the Emperor during official visits to the United States and other countries, where he represented Ethiopia’s dignity and Ethiopia’s aspirations to the wider world with the utmost pride and integrity. In this regard, Dr. Minassie was much more than just a diplomat. He was an unwavering Patriot for the cause of Ethiopianism.

On behalf of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie announced, “I extend my heartfelt condolences to Dr. Minassie’s beloved family, his colleagues, and to all who mourn the loss of a great son of Ethiopia. As we mourn his loss, let us also make sure to honor his memory, his service, and his legacy.”

May Almighty God comfort his family and loved ones in this time of great loss. May His Excellency Dr. Minassie Haile rest in eternal peace.

11 September 2025 / 1 መስከረም 2018