LALIBELA 29 ታኅሣሥ 2017 / 7 January 2025 His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Ethiopian Crown Council (shown at right), is in Lalibela, Ethiopia, celebrating the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord today. His Highness wishes all Orthodox and Eastern Rite Christians a blessed Christmas.
The famous rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, recognized as World Heritage Sites, are among Ethiopia’s most treasured pilgrimage sites. Traditionally dated to the reign of the great medieval emperor Gebre Meskel Lalibela, they are a symbolic representation of Jerusalem, and commemorate Ethiopia’s age-old ties to the Holy Land.
Prince Ermias is in Ethiopia in January for a series of important events, including the formal reopening of Menbere Tsebaot Cathedral, more commonly known as Holy Trinity Cathedral, in Addis Ababa on January 14. On January 5, His Highness attended a celebration (shown below) in honor of those who contributed to the renovation of Trinity Cathedral. Prince Ermias spearheaded a fundraising campaign in 2023 and 2024 resulting in a major contribution to that renovation.
His Highness thanks all friends of the Ethiopian Crown Council for their support of this initiative.
