The leadership of Ethiopian National Transitional Council (ENTC), on behalf of the people of Ethiopia, sends its warm wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis as he assumes leadership of the Catholic Church. We share the joy of Ethiopian Catholics and Catholics throughout the world who are celebrating his ascendancy to the Papacy today.

We have received the news that the Holy Father is a man of the people with a great deal of renewed hope and expectation. We hope that the Holy Father will speak out more forcefully on behalf of people who are subjected to brutal dictatorships around the world.

We hope that the Holy Father recognizes that the primary source of poverty is lack of freedom and will work to free the millions of people around the world, such as the people of Ethiopia and others, who are being brutalized by barbaric dictators.

We hope that the Holy Father prays for and comes to the aid of the tens of thousands of Ethiopian women who are being abused and work in slave like conditions in several Middle Eastern countries after being exported and abandoned by their own government. We hope the Holy Father also prays for the thousands of innocent people languishing in Ethiopian prisons and the thousands more young Ethiopians who are drowning in the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea trying to escape from repression.

It is the wish of the Ethiopian people that the statue of Rudolfo Graziani, a Fascist General responsible for the killing of millions of Ethiopians, will be strongly objected by His Holy Father.

We hope the Holy Father is indeed the Pope of Hope. We look forward to work and cooperate with His Holiness in His endeavor to stand up for all mankind.

The Executive Committee
Ethiopian National Transitional Council

13 March 2013

etntc.org
[email protected]