Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Addis Ababa, is a prominent conservative leader of the Ethiopian Catholic Church who has spoken out strongly on a variety of social and moral issues but faced criticism for his positions on the Tigray War.

Born on July 14, 1948, in Tchela Claka, near Harar in eastern Ethiopia, he comes from a family with deep Catholic roots.

He was educated in schools run by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Capuchins and the De La Salle Brothers before entering the minor seminary of the Congregation of the Mission (known as “Lazarists” or “Vincentians”) in 1963. He studied at the Makanissa Major Seminary beginning in 1968 and later studied theology at King’s College London.

He was ordained priest on July 4, 1976, and soon faced significant challenges. During the communist military regime in Ethiopia, Souraphiel was imprisoned for seven months (1979-1980) in Jimma as part of a crackdown on religious leaders by the Mengistu Haile Mariam military junta.

The regime killed many thousands of its opponents, imprisoned people on religious grounds and confiscated property. This experience, however, did not deter Souraphiel’s commitment to his faith and his people.

After his release from prison, he moved to Rome where he worked for the Lazarists and studied social sciences at the Pontifical Gregorian University. On returning to Ethiopia in 1983, he served as director of the Lazarist Novitiate in addition to being a parish priest. He also became provincial superior of the Lazarists in Addis Ababa and, after the junta was overthrown in 1991 and Ethiopians were free to practice religion, he taught at the seminary there.

Souraphiel’s ecclesiastical career then advanced rapidly. He was appointed prefect of the Apostolic Vicariate of Jimma-Bonga in 1994, auxiliary bishop of Addis Ababa in 1997, and finally, Archbishop of Addis Ababa in 1999. In this role, he also became the head of the Ethiopian Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See.

His leadership also extends beyond Ethiopia. He served as the president of the Catholic bishops’ conference of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and in 2014, he was elected chairman of AMECEA, the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa. As president of the bishops’ conference, he participated in the 2014 and 2015 Synods on the Family.

In 2015, Pope Francis elevated Souraphiel to the rank of cardinal, recognizing his significant contributions to the Church and his region.

One of Cardinal Souraphiel’s most notable achievements has been his strong advocacy for education. In 2005, he established the Ethiopian Catholic University of St. Thomas Aquinas, emphasizing the importance of education in fostering love for one’s country and creating opportunities within Ethiopia.

The cardinal considers poverty alleviation one of the most pressing issues facing his region, and recognizes that poverty is a significant challenge in Ethiopia and broader East Africa. He strongly believes in education as a crucial tool for combating poverty and fostering development. He also recognizes the need for improved infrastructure in health and development as crucial for addressing material deficiency in the region.

The cardinal has been outspoken on various social and moral issues. He has drawn attention to the problem of human trafficking in Ethiopia, particularly the exploitation of children and women.

In 2008, he joined other Ethiopian religious leaders in calling for the criminalization of homosexual activity in the country’s constitution, referring to it as “an infestation.” In

2014, AMECEA issued a statement saying, “we strongly condemn same-sex unions and other deviations that go against human nature and natural laws.” Souraphiel was the association’s head at the time.

He has not commented on Fiducia Supplicans but given his positions, and like many of his African confreres, he is likely to be firmly opposed to the declaration.

Cardinal Souraphiel has long shown concern for environmental issues. In 2009, he was among the Ethiopian religious leaders who wrote to U.S. President Barack Obama before international climate talks in Denmark. They urged the adoption of a strong “position and full pledge on sound climate change policy,” calling it a “moral and ethical imperative to ensure a preserved environment.”

The Ethiopian cardinal faced significant criticism and controversy related to his stance and actions during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict in Ethiopia. Tigrayan Catholics accused him of being too close to the Ethiopian government’s military actions against Tigray which were labelled a genocide. They also wrote to Pope Francis expressing their concerns about Cardinal Souraphiel’s involvement in the war.

In 2022, the cardinal drew criticism for saying the situation was being worsened by a drought brought on by “climate change” rather than the war. He also rejected calling Ethiopia’s military operation in Tigray a conflict or war; Tigrayan priests criticized the cardinal saying he was “trying to protect the image of the country [Ethiopia].”

Rather than directly addressing his previous statements, Cardinal Souraphiel shifted his focus to addressing the Church’s role in providing humanitarian assistance and promoting peace. He also highlighted the need for education, vocational training, and economic development to address the root causes of conflict and prevent youth migration.

Cardinal Souraphiel speaks Amharic (the official language of Ethiopia), English, and Italian.