Abune Phillipos (27 September 1901 – 18 September 2002) was the first Patriarch of the

Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( ti, ቤተ ክርስትያን ተዋህዶ ኤርትራ) is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. Its autocephaly was recognised by Pope Shenouda III of Alexandri ...

Life

He was born in Endadeko, Ighelehames, Akeleguzay, Eritrea and began his religious training at the Debre Bizen Monastery at the age of eleven, and took monastic and priestly vows there. He was raised to the rank of Bishop and then Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church at Addis Ababa, but then left that church to join the Eritrean Synod when the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church broke away from the Ethiopian church upon the independence of Eritrea. He was elevated to the rank of Patriarch of Eritrea in May 1999 at the hands of Coptic Pope Shenouda III, and was enthroned in Asmara. He joined Ethiopian Patriarch Paulos in an unsuccessful effort to mediate the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Phillipos died after a long illness on September 18, 2002 at

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...

and was buried at the Debre Bizen Monastery. He was succeeded by

Yacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...

. People from Southern Region (Eritrea) Patriarchs of Eritrea Eritrean Oriental Orthodox Christians Eritrean centenarians 1901 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops 21st-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops Men centenarians {{OrientalOrthodox-clergy-stub