Pope Leo appoints new head of Ethiopian Catholic Church

June 13, 2026

Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M., 77, as metropolitan archbishop of the Archeparchy of Addis Ababa and appointed Bishop Abune Tesfaye (Tesfasilasie) Tadesse Gebresilasie, M.C.C.J., as his successor.

As the new metropolitan archbishop of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, Archbishop Gebresilasie is now the leader of the Ethiopian Catholic Church (CNEWA profile), an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See.

Born in Harar in 1969, Gebresilasie entered the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus in 1986 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1995. He studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and earned a licentiate degree in Islamic Studies at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies.

Father Gebresilasie served as provincial of the Comboni Missionaries in Ethiopia (2005), general counsellor of the Comboni Missionaries (2009-2015), and superior general of the Comboni Missionaries (2015-2024). Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of the Archeparchy of Addis Ababa in 2024.

 

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Further information:

• Resignations and Appointments (Holy See Press Office, 6/12/26)
• Resignations and Appointments (Holy See Press Office, 11/6/24)