August in Africa- Blog III

Written August 11, 2008

Today, I had interaction with two fascinating personalities, who likely provide the most important influences on Ethiopia right now. The first was His Holiness Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The second was the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Over the course of my visit, and as I prepared for it, a picture of the influence of religion on the Ethiopian culture has begun to emerge. Since there hasn’t been a census done for many years, I don’t think anybody knows for sure the statistical breakdown, but my sense is the population is nearly evenly divided between Muslim and Christian. The religious breakdown clearly varies from region to region. In Addis Ababa (the capital), for example, one can see evidence of both religions constantly. Life in the city is conducted with a constant back drop of Muslim call to pray and, at the same time, one sees Christian churches everywhere.

What would not be disputed is that the most prominent Christian church is the Ethiopian Orthodox church, and it has roots in Judaism. Apparently, in the 4th century A.D., it was a tradition for Jews to travel to Jerusalem to worship. A certain Jewish eunuch, while there, was converted to Christianity, and upon his return began to convert others. The result was a blend of the two religions. The Ethiopian Orthodox church remains heavily influenced, in its practices and doctrines, from this background. Today, the Ethiopian Orthodox church claims to have a membership in excess of 40 million. It has 30,000 churches and nearly 500,000 clergy.

The Patriarch, His Holiness Abune Paulos, is a man in his early seventies who has studied as an undergraduate at Yale and got his PhD at Princeton. He speaks fluent English and has a sophisticated view of the world. During a period of political turmoil in Ethiopia, he was imprisoned. When I asked him about the impact that period had on him, he acknowledged it was “a hard time,” and then said, “It was a hard time for everyone in our country.” He also referenced how much the experience refined him. He was officially elected as Patriarch in 1992. It is interesting to me how many African leaders have been confined by their opponents at one time or another.

As a Pope-like figure in his church, the Patriarch receives visitors in a fashion that is full of religious dignity. Though he received us warmly by standing and shaking hands with non-members of his church, those who recognize him as their religious leader do not shake hands with him, but rather kiss a crucifix the Patriarch carries. He sits in a courtly setting at the head of the room. He was dressed in flowing white clerical robes, on his head was a prominent white covering. The dialog started off rather formal, but within a few minutes it evolved into a conversation about the future of Ethiopia and an array of subjects.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and His Holiness Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church

His Holiness spoke of his gratitude for the assistance of the United States. He discussed the role of the church in supporting primary health service delivery and lamented his inability to get resources to all the dioceses of the church at the same time.

I thanked the Patriarch for his support of our HIV/AIDs work and his assistance in reconciling the dilemma people felt between the use of holy water (see previous blog) and antiretroviral treatment. He explained his belief that everything comes from God, including those who have knowledge to make medications. We discussed the need for collaborative problem-solving. He said, “People with good hearts see the poor and sick, and naturally want to do something to help. Those who don’t feel a desire to help are sick themselves.”

We discussed the power that 500,000 clergy, who teach their parishioners to avoid risky behaviors, will have on the future of Ethiopia. He said, “We want to help.” “We are willing to do everything we can.” I saw the power of that commitment played out as I traveled into remote areas of Ethiopia the next day. I’ll talk more about that in tomorrow’s blog.

Following our discussion, we traveled to a hospital run by a church that the U.S. supports with funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It specializes in tuberculosis patients. More than half of the patients are HIV/AIDS positive. I spent time talking with four patients and hearing about their experiences and the hardships of their disease. The patients expressed appreciation for the drugs they were receiving, acknowledging they owe their continued lives to those drugs.

Like the Patriarch, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s life-course was also defined during the political hardship of the 70s. Prime Minister Meles was a student with aspirations to become a doctor. The turmoil became so acute that he had to leave school. He and other university students became persuaded that the military junta that was ruling Ethiopia had to be replaced. They began seeking training from supporters outside the country and planning to force change.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Prime Minister Meles

After the Prime Minister and I had dispensed with a list of business and diplomatic items on our agenda, like HIV/AIDS; Malaria; the food shortages; and regional politics, I got him talking about the early days of the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front, of which he was a part. It was fascinating. The Prime Minister was 19 years old when all of the turmoil began to unfold. One poignant story he told me was how he was in hiding and his father sought him out to express how deeply worried his parents were about him. “My father said he was sorry I had chosen to engage in activity that would likely end in my death. He asked me to write a letter to my mother expressing my feelings to her.”

I asked him if his mother had lived to see him become Prime Minister. He indicated she had. I inquired about the letter, wondering if she had saved it. What a treasure that would be. He said he doubted she had, because they were routinely harassed by their oppressors, and, if it had been found, such a document would have brought additional hardship.

Over the years I was Governor of Utah, I received numerous diplomatic visitors (mostly ambassadors) from emerging democracies in Africa. I came to admire the sacrifices they had made in the name of freedom. These were the George Washingtons of their countries. They risked their lives leading courageous campaigns against tyrants, despots and dictators, often living for years in jungles and other hiding places, while the course of political change was accomplished. My conversation with the Prime Minister reminded me of those discussions.

I did two other important events during the day. One was a visit to a community garden system that the U.S. supports where HIV/AIDS families are able to raise food and get other help. I also did a diplomatic speech at the Addis Ababa University School of Medicine. This kind of speech is one of my favorite experiences while traveling internationally. I attempt to let the students get acquainted with me personally and to show complete openness with the hope that it will give them a different view of the United States than they are sometimes provided through international media.