-

The Ark of the Covenant

-

NOT Revealed

-

Ethiopian Church Leader Balks at Revelation

 

(A-O Newswire) -- The patriarch of Ethiopian Orthodox Church had stated last week that he would reveal the existence of the Ark of the Covenant at a special news conference on June 26 at a hotel in Rome. That conference never took place. No statement was issued nor was there any explanation for the cancellation.

The previous week, Patriarch Abuna Paulos met in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI and stated publicly then that "Soon the world will be able to admire the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible as the container of the tablest of the law that God delivered to Moses and the center of searches and studies for centuries." The patriarch then suggested the possibility that the artifact might be placed in a special museum created just for the Ark. He went on to add: "I repeat (the Ark of the Covenant) is in Ethiopia and nobody ... knows for how much time. Only God knows." His comments were reported by the Italian news agency, "Adnkronos."

The Italian news agency reported that Paulos stated the Ark "is described perfectly in the Bible" and is in good condition. The state of conservation is good because it is not made from man's hand, but is something that God has made."

"The Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia for many centuries," said Pauolos in the report. "As a patriarch I have seen it with my own eyes and only few highly qualified persons could do the same, until now."

In response to the Italian newspaper's article concerning the Patriarch's comments, WorldNetDaily inquired with the Ethiopian Church through its website. The church's webmaster responded with the following statement.

"I think Abba Pauolos must be out of his mind. … An (artifact) should not be shown or touched other than the clergies but to put it on display is a reckless comment let alone doing it," the statement said. "Not only the local clergies but the people of Ethiopia won't allow it and it is not going to happen."

The webmaster noted there were artifacts moved from Ethiopia to Britain over the years, and even those are not allowed to be displayed.

Pauolos in the Adnkronos report said any display would need the approval of the supreme court of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

A spokesman for a U.S. branch of the church, Mehereto Belete of Los Angeles, told WND he had been given no word of any major change in the status of the Ark.

"It is news for us just as it is for you," he said.

It is entirely possible that the Patriarch was speaking without proper clearance from the church hierarchy and once other church leaders found out, forced the Patriarch to cancel his intended announcement. The prospects of such a revelation had created quite a buzz of anticipation around the internet in the past week with much speculation as to what the impact would be of such an announcement, particularly the idea of public display of the artifcat in a specially built museum.

The patriarch is the nominal head of the Ethiopian Orthodox church and is also one of 7 presidents of the World Council of Churches. It appears that he had intended to make the announcement in conjunction with the G8 religious summit but was later forbidden by the governing council of the Church which opposed such an idea.

Given the Patriarch's connection to the World Council of Churches, we can only speculate on the motive. Perhaps it was part of an intended effort to rally towards a new, one-world religion that would parallel a new world government.

For more on this story, read the updated coverage by WorldNetDaily, -- LINK HERE.

-

-

-

-

-

-