His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sent a message to the Patriarch-Catholicos of Ethiopia, Abuna Matthias, expressing his support to the Primate of the Ethiopian Church in connection with the attempts of a group of schismatics to create a schism in it.

"I cordially greet you and express my sincere sympathy in the days of sorrowful trials that have again befallen the Ethiopian Church. It is with deep sadness in my soul that the news of the disasters of Ethiopian Christians who, in the current difficult circumstances, are resisting the schism and are striving to remain faithful to their Church," the Primate said in his message.

As His Holiness noted, the Russian Orthodox Church "knows from her own experience how hard it is to experience and what wounds the sin of schism causes."

"At this difficult time, I express fraternal support to Your Holiness and the archpastors, pastors and laypeople entrusted to your care. May the Lord strengthen you in the performance of a hard–working Pre-Sovereign service and grant you bodily health, and may He send down every possible well-being to your God-loving flock, affirming it in faith and unity of mind," Patriarch Kirill concluded.

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In the summer of 2023, a group of schismatics opposed the Hierarchy of the Ethiopian Church and attempted to form their own "ecclesiastical jurisdiction". To this end, in recent weeks, schismatics have committed a number of anti-canonical "episcopal and priestly ordinations", attempts are being made to forcibly seize the temples of the Ethiopian Church.

The actions of the schismatics are strongly opposed by the majority of Ethiopian Christians. With the blessing of Patriarch Abuna Matthias, intense prayers for peace in the country and for church unity are offered in all parishes of the Ethiopian Church. The Synod of the Ethiopian Church has also sent letters to the leaders of the world's largest Christian communities asking for support.

The Russian Orthodox Church has never remained indifferent to the misfortunes of Christians in Ethiopia and in difficult times has always raised its voice in defense of its suffering brothers in the faith. In a similar way, the Moscow Patriarchate reacted to the mass attacks on churches, clergy and believers of the Ethiopian Church that took place in 2019- 2020, and to the attempts to create a church schism in a number of central and southern regions of Ethiopia that took place in early 2023.

The Ethiopian Church is part of the family of Ancient Eastern Churches and is not only the largest of the Churches of the pre-Chalcedonian tradition, but also one of the most numerous Christian communities in the world: the number of its believers exceeds 60 million people.

The ties between the peoples of Russia and Ethiopia date back many centuries. Regular inter-church contacts were established at the end of the XIX century and were especially actively developed in the middle of the XX century, largely thanks to the efforts of Metropolitan Nikodim of Leningrad and Novgorod, Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations.

Today, these contacts continue to develop intensively, including within the framework of the activities of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church established in 2018.