Abune Diosqoros (born Diosqoros Hagos Mendefera; 1935 – 21 December 2015) was the fourth

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

of the

Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. It was given autocephaly by Shenouda III of Alexandria, pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, after Eritrea gained its in ...

, appointed in April 2007.

Bishop

Born in 1935, Dioskoros was consecrated as bishop of the

Seraye Seraye is the name of a former province of Eritrea. It has since been incorporated primarily into the Debub Region, though some western districts have become part of the Gash-Barka Region. The province was located west of Akele Guzai, south of ...

district in the feast of

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

on 19 May 1994 by Coptic Orthodox

Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria Pope Shenouda III (3 August 1923 – 17 March 2012) was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. His papacy lasted 40 years, 4 months, and 4 days, from 14 November 1971 until his death. His official title was Pope of ...

. In 2004 he was transferred to the Diocese of the South West, where was a ruling bishop until his disputed election as the head of the

on 19 April 2007.

Patriarch

Dioskoros' appointment was made possible because the regime in Eritrea changed the rules for the appointment, so that the Holy Synod of the church could assign a layman to be the new Patriarch. The removal of

Antonios Antonios or Antónios is a Greek masculine given name that is a variant of Antonis, as well as a surname. Notable people with this name include the following: Given name * Antonios Antoniadis (born 20th-century), Greek physician * Antonios Antonopo ...

(1927-2022), the former legal Patriarch, at the behest of the Eritrean government was denounced by Coptic

and the

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

who have refused to recognize Dioskoros as legitimate Patriarch of Eritrea, as did several Eritrean churches, particularly in the diaspora, which continued to endorse his predecessor. The former Patriarch Antonios, who was removed from the post after having criticized the Eritrean government for interference in church affairs, has been held under house arrest by the regime in Eritrea since 2005. In October 2014 the Union of Eritrean Monasteries issued a decree excommunicating Dioskoros' governmental allies, the priest Habtom Russom Habte and the layman Yoftahe Dimetros Gebre-mariam, citing a long list of alleged abuses during their administration during Doskoros' reign. However Dioskoros was not directly excommunicated in the process. The Eritrean Government accused several monks of being a major force behind the excommunication letter. A number of the monks allegedly involved decided to escape and take refuge in Ethiopia. Dioskoros died on 21 December 2015. Since his death, the position of patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church fell vacant until 2021, with the election of Qerlos.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dioskoros, Abune 1935 births 2015 deaths Eritrean Orthodox Christians Eritrean Oriental Orthodox Christians Patriarchs of Eritrea