On Jan 27, 2023, a Facebook page, followed by more than two million accounts, shared three images claiming that the residents in many towns in the Oromia region were celebrating the appointment of new bishops.
The Facebook post went viral and gained close to twenty thousand engagements on the platform.
However, HaqCheck inquired about the post and confirmed that two of the three images were old. The two pictures don’t support the claim. As a result, the post was rated Partially False.
On Jan 22, 2023, Abune Sawiros, Archbishop of South West Shoa, along with two archbishops appointed 26 bishops without the recognition of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. Seventy of the bishops appointed by Abune Sawiros were announced to be dispatched to churches in the Oromia regional state.
Following this appointment, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church denounced the act. The Church also excommunicated Abune Sawiros and other bishops who co-organized the appointment.
A few days later, the breakaway archbishops denounced and excommunicated twelve archbishops of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. They also announced that nominee bishops would soon be dispatched.
Social media reports indicate that the newly appointed bishops were sent to their respective domains and were warmly received by residents.
It is in this context, the Facebook post emerged on Jan 27, 2023, sharing three images with the claim that the residents in many towns in the Oromia region were celebrating the appointment of new bishops.
The images, however, do not support the claim. The first two images in the post were taken from a YouTube video published in February 2020.
The third picture depicts Abune Sawiros who appointed the new bishops. The image was recently posted on Facebook.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post as False due to the usage of inaccurate images.
