KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, on Thursday December 1, 2022, received a delegation from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, headed by Thaddaeus, Archbishop of the Caribbean and Latin America.

During the courtesy call, Archbishop Thaddaeus brought up matters relating to economic opportunities for members of the Church in Jamaica, following the staging of specialised training workshops in business development, marketing, financial literacy, craft, gastronomy and baking technology, offered by the Ministry in March, 2021.

“I was honoured by Archbishop Thaddaeus’ visit. We discussed a wide range of issues including the regularisation of the ownership of the land on which the Ethiopian Orthodox Church sits on Maxfield Avenue. The Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, has directed that this matter be dealt with expeditiously, and my Ministry is working to resolve the matter.

“We also discussed the ways in which we can ensure that the Church engages in activities that ensure its sustainability,” Grange said.

Archbishop Thaddeus also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Holness on November 30, 2022. During that meeting the Prime Minister engaged the Archbishop on matters relating to the history of the Orthodox Church and also matters related to land tenure.

Ordained as Bishop in 1993, Thaddaeus was later elevated to the post of Archbishop in February 1995. During his Mission to Jamaica, the Archbishop conducted services and ordained new priests.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was established in Jamaica in May 1970 by the then Archimandrite Abba Laike Mariam Mandefro, who later became Archbishop Yesehaq.