Abuna Petros VII
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Petros VII | |
|---|---|
| Abuna of Ethiopia | |
| Church | Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church |
| In office | 1881–1889 |
| Predecessor | Atnatewos II |
| Successor | Mattheos X |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | January 1881 by Pope Cyril V of Alexandria |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 20 October 1917 |
| Denomination | Oriental Orthodoxy |
Abuna Petros VII (died 20 October 1917) was a cleric of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church who served as Abuna of Ethiopia (archbishop and head of the Church) from 1881 to 1889. He served during the reign of Emperor Yohannes IV (r. 1871–1889), a period during which the Ethiopian Church maintained traditional ecclesiastical ties with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and sought to strengthen episcopal leadership following years of instability.[1]
During the 19th century, the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was traditionally appointed by the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria following a request and payment from the Ethiopian imperial court. During Emperor Yohannes IV's rule, Ethiopia sought renewed episcopal leadership after the death of Abuna Atnatewos II in 1876 (who died of wounds received at the Battle of Gura[2]). Because of political and military tensions between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt, replacing the deceased abuna was delayed for several years.[1]
In January 1881, Yohannes IV dispatched a delegation of ecclesiastical leaders to the Coptic Pope Cyril V of Alexandria, together with a substantial payment (12,000 Maria Theresa thalers), to request the consecration of multiple bishops for the Ethiopian Church. Cyril V consecrated and sent to Ethiopia the four monks from El-Muharraq Monastery: Abuna Petros (who assumed the metropolitan position and leadership of the Ethiopian Church), Abuna Marqos, Abuna Matewos and Abuna Luqas.[3][4][1][5]