Abuna Petros
1892-1936 20th century
Blessing still when all is lost, and not taking back one's word.
Who was Abuna Petros?
A monk who became a bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, he refused to bless the Italian occupation or to tell his people to submit. Arrested after the Addis Ababa uprising and tried within hours, he blessed the crowd towards the four horizons before being shot in the public square. His statue now stands where he was executed.
In their own words
Do not believe those who tell you the patriots are bandits: they are people who long for freedom.
God gives the people of Ethiopia the strength to resist and never to bow down.
The soil of Ethiopia will never accept the rule of the invading army.