Vatican City, 14 January, 2020 / 4:19 am (ACI Africa).
On Saturday, January 11, the Vatican-based institution of higher learning with African roots, the Pontifical Ethiopian College, celebrated 100 years since its inception, an event graced by Pope Francis who acknowledged with appreciation the existence of the facility in Rome.
“At the tomb of the Apostle Peter the children of peoples geographically distant from Rome, but close to the faith of the Apostles in professing Jesus Christ the Saviour, have found home and hospitality throughout the centuries,” Vatican News quoted Pope Francis as saying during the Saturday centenary celebration.
The Holy Father described the existence of the College as “the Ethiopian presence within the Vatican Walls, a presence that has allowed those physically distant from Rome to share in the Catholic faith.”
The Holy Father expressed appreciation for the role the College plays in the formation of priests particularly from the African countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea, which he described as “two Churches united by the same tradition.”
He also described the existence of the institution in Rome as “precious ecclesial tradition” of the Churches in the two African countries and encouraged the leaders to preserve the institution.
