Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — 5 June 2026 | Horn News Hub
A new report by the Tigray Civil Society Observatory (TCSO) has raised concerns over governance, accountability, and institutional structure within the See of Selama Kesate Birhan, arguing that the church lacks a binding constitutional framework and comparing its structure to that of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in India.
Titled “A Church Without a Compass,” the report presents itself as a post conflict accountability assessment and calls for urgent institutional reforms, including the drafting of a formal constitution, leadership restructuring, and financial transparency mechanisms.
Constitutional absence at the center of concerns
The report argues that the most significant challenge facing the church is the absence of a codified constitution that defines governance structures, limits leadership authority, and establishes accountability systems.
According to TCSO, this gap has contributed to what it describes as governance weaknesses, including limited financial oversight, unclear leadership succession mechanisms, and vulnerability to factional influence.
The document emphasizes that, in its view, the lack of a binding constitutional framework has left the institution dependent on informal authority structures rather than codified rules.
Comparison with the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
A major reference point in the report is the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in India, which operates under its 1934 Constitution.
TCSO highlights that the Malankara Church has developed a structured governance system involving elected lay representation, constitutional oversight, and legally enforceable institutional rules upheld by India’s Supreme Court through landmark rulings.
The report credits this framework with enabling the church to develop extensive educational and healthcare institutions over several decades, including hospitals, schools, colleges, and social welfare programs serving millions of members.
It contrasts this with what it describes as weaker institutional development within the See of Selama Kesate Birhan, attributing the difference primarily to governance structure rather than theology or tradition.
Allegations of governance and political influence
The report further raises concerns about leadership practices within the Tigray church structure, alleging issues such as nepotism, lack of transparency, and political influence in institutional decision making.
It claims that limited formal educational qualifications among some senior clergy may constrain institutional planning capacity, particularly in areas such as healthcare administration, education systems, and financial governance.
The document also argues that political alignment with regional actors has affected the church’s neutrality, which it says has implications for its credibility among different segments of the faithful.
These claims are presented as part of TCSO’s institutional analysis and are not independently verified.
Call for constitutional convention and reforms
Central to the report is a recommendation for a constitutional convention that would bring together clergy, lay representatives, civil society actors, and legal experts to draft a binding governance document.
Among the proposed reforms are:
Establishing lay majority participation in financial and administrative decision making
Introducing minimum educational requirements for senior church leadership positions
Creating independent financial audit systems with public reporting
Ensuring formal separation between church governance and political party affiliation
The report also suggests that such a constitution should be designed with enforceability mechanisms appropriate to Ethiopia’s legal framework.
Leadership development and institutional expansion
Beyond governance reform, the report outlines a long term leadership development strategy. It proposes expanded theological education for clergy through partnerships with international institutions, alongside recruitment of professionals in law, finance, education, and healthcare into church administration.
It also outlines an ambitious institutional expansion plan over two decades, including the potential development of hospitals, schools, vocational training centers, and a university system under church administration.
Faithful participation and accountability
The report frames accountability as a rights based issue, stating that members of the Orthodox Christian community in Tigray have a right to financial transparency, elected representation, and merit based leadership.
It argues that institutional trust depends on governance reform and that failure to address these issues could undermine the church’s long term stability and public credibility.
Conclusion of the report
In its closing assessment, TCSO describes the current moment as a critical institutional crossroads. It argues that the church must choose between adopting a formal constitutional framework or continuing with what it describes as informal governance structures.
The report concludes that the outcome will determine whether the institution develops into a more structured governance model or continues operating under what it calls a “drifting” system of leadership.
The See of Selama Kesate Birhan has not issued a public response to the report at the time of publication.
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