ዓለም አቀፍ ሕብረት ለፍትሕ - የኢትዮጵያ ጉዳይ
Global Alliance for Justice – The Ethiopian Cause
4002 Blacksmith Drive,
Garland, TX 75044;
USA
Tel: (214)703 9022
www.globalallianceforethiopia.org;
E-mail: [email protected]
November 24, 2016
OPEN LETTER OF APPEAL TO HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS I
APPEAL FOR A VATICAN APOLOGY TO THE ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE
Your Holiness,
The Global Alliance for Justice – The Ethiopian Cause presents its most respectful compliment
to His Holiness Pope Francis I and submits this appeal for justice on behalf of Ethiopia.
The Alliance (GAJEC) also wishes to express its respectful appreciation and thanks to Your
Holiness for Your apology to the indigenous people of Latin America, and Your recognition of
the Turkish genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people 101 years ago as well as the
recent apology by the Catholic Church to the Rwandan people.
Your Holiness is aware that no Vatican apology and justice has prevailed in the case of Ethiopia
which had suffered during 1935-41 the massacre of one million men, women and children at the
hands of Fascist Italy, with the complicit and direct support of the Vatican, as well as the
destruction of 2,000 churches, 525,000 homes and some 14 million animals and the looting of
huge quantities of Ethiopian properties of which over 500 Ethiopian manuscripts are still in the
possession of the Vatican Library.
GAJEC is confident that Your Holiness is aware of our previous repeated appeals to the Vatican
calling for justice in the form of a public apology to the Ethiopian people and the return of the
looted properties. We have so far not received a response from the Vatican with the exception of
the kind letters from His Eminence Cardinal Berhaneyesus (Ethiopia) and the Vatican Embassy
(Washington, DC) informing us, essentially, that the issue would receive consideration by the
higher authority within the Vatican.
2
It is to be recalled that we had provided extensive evidences to Your Holiness in our previous
letter of appeal dated July 10, 2015 confirming, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the Vatican,
especially Pope Pius XI as well as the various Archbishops and Bishops rendered the fullest
support to the Fascist Italian aggression on Ethiopia. The following are few examples of the
actions taken by the Vatican in support of the Fascist aggression against Ethiopia:
1. In 1926, Pope Pius XI had declared: “Mussolini is the man sent by Providence.”
2. In 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed by the Vatican and the Fascist government under
which a substantial financial aid was provided to the Vatican for its support;
3. 29 Archbishops and 61 Bishops supported the Fascist aggression;
4. Pope Pius XI was among the first world leaders to express his joy when the Fascist army
reached Addis Ababa;
5. The Vatican had offered 1 million Sterling Pounds bribe to Emperor Haile Selassie I for
his abdication of power in favour of Italy which he rejected;
6. Pope Pius XI had blessed the Italian monarch as “the king of Italy and emperor of
Ethiopia”;
7. The Bishop of Tarano had stated: “The war against Ethiopia should be considered as a
holy war, a crusade, as Italian victory would open Ethiopia, a country of infidels and
schismatics to the expansion of the Catholic Faith.”
8. Vatican priests had blessed the Fascist army as can be seen in the following photo:
A Vatican priest blessing the Fascist army
In conclusion, the Global Alliance for Justice – The Ethiopian Cause hereby appeals to Your
Holiness, again, to render the appropriate Christian justice by apologizing to the Ethiopian
people for the Vatican’s complicity with Fascist Italy for the huge war crimes it committed
against Ethiopia with the complicit support of the Vatican.
With the assurances of our highest respect,
Kidane Alemayehu
Executive Director