And now to present our eminent guest, delegates of service, ladies and gentlemen the honorary chairman of our congress:
Dr. Billy Graham
Your Imperial Majesty,
Bishop Dibelius
Delegates, observers,
Friends, Ladies & Gentlemen..
When we were deciding about the program of this conference there was one item that I was asked
a little bit about and that was what Chief of State we might invite to come
and greet us in the Name of Christ? And we thought of several but the one that kept coming back to our thoughts and our minds
was that great country of Ethiopia. The Land of the Queen of Sheba
referred to in the Old Testament as Punt and we remembered the story in the Book of Acts about the Ethiopian Nobleman
that was converted to Christ, baptized and went back to Ethiopia with the Gospel.
And since that day, Christian Kings & Emperors have ruled in that enchanting and beautiful country.
35 years ago there came to the Throne Emperor Haile Selassie the First.
He established a written constitution. He established a parliament, a modern system of communication, bulit roads, hospitals, schools and universities.
And then the whole world became aware of H.I.M. during the heroic days of the war.
His Majesty is the protector of the State Ethiopian Orthodox Church and is Head of the Church.
And when He returned to His country on May the 5th 1941, on that historic day
He announced to the world that in Ethiopia,
Christian ethics in government, liberty of conscience and democratic institutions would prevail in His country.
The Emperor of Ethiopia is a man that goes regularly to church and is a worshiper of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour
When I had the privilege of being in Ethiopia for a campaign in Addis Ababa,
when I spoke all schools were closed and the Imperial Family came and attended the services.
And so we give a warm and hearty welcome in the Name of Jesus Christ to our distingushed guest this morning:
HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY
EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE THE FIRST OF ETHIOPIA!
As Jesus Christ has said: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I AM in the midst of them."
lt is therefore Our expressed hope that these words will be realized in their full significance in this great assembly.
We are happy to be present in this famous City of Berlin where Christian leaders are assembled to consider ways and means of spreading Our Christian Faith in the world.
We thank Mr. Billy Graham for inviting Us to address this meeting.
The propagation of the Christian Faith among nations has become a task of paramount importance in this age as is evidenced by this great assembly of Christian leaders.
As you all know, it is centuries past since Our country, Ethiopia, accepted the Gospel of Christ.
We learn from the Holy Scriptures that the first Ethiopian who confessed faith in Jesus Christ was baptised only a few months after the death and resurrection of Our Lord.
From then on Christianity spread steadily among the Ethiopian people and became the religion of the Ethiopians in the Fourth Century. (AD)
It is a matter of pride for Us, a special cause for thankfulness to Almighty God, when We recall that the Christian Faith was introduced to Our people by the Imperial Court and through the instrumentality of the then reigning Monarch.
Ethiopian history testifies that our ancestors, who rose after the first Christian Emperors, were men and women who had great zeal and keenness for the Faith of Christ and who did all in their power for its propagation among our people.
Many among them, like Emperor Caleb who lived in the Fifth Century and Emperor Lalibela and his immediate successors who lived in the Twelfth Century, have been canonized.
When the countries of the Middle East, North East Africa and Asia Minor, where the Gospel was preached by the Apostles, were over run by and succumbed under a power opposed to the Christian Faith,
the sovereigns and people of Ethiopia, firm in their deep love for the Faith of Christ and supplemented by the nature of their native land, put up great struggles to preserve Ethiopia as an island of Christianity.
Deep is Our thankfulness to our God for this grace. Numerous are our ancestors, who throughout the centuries consecrated and sacrificed their lives on the battlefield that Ethiopia might survive strong in her Christian Faith.
When, after all these worthy predecessors, We assumed the leadership of Our people half a century ago, We became acutely aware of the magnitude of the sacred trust and responsibility vouchsafed to Us to work for the glory of God and the continued and lasting welfare of Our People.
During the past 50 years not only did We labour that Our people may lead a better life while on this earth but We also did not spare Our energy and treasure to develop their spiritual heritage, the value of which no human mind can assess.
We have laboured that the Holy Scriptures and the books left to Us by the Church Fathers be multiplied by means of modem printing techniques and be distributed to all not only in our modern language, but also in Geez, our ancient language.
Our Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which was cut off for centuries from her fellow Christian Churches, has joined the World Council of Churches and co-operates in the task of strengthening the Faith and bringing about Church unity.
We have helped and will continue to help the missionaries who are sent from other lands to preach the Gospel to those of Our people who have not come to the knowledge of God's saving grace.
As the unity of the Church is of great concern to Us and, God willing, being hopeful that this sacred objective might be achieved in our day and age,
We were happy to have convened two years ago a meeting of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in Our Capital City of Addis Ababa to deliberate on ways and means of bringing about harmony and unity in the Church.
We refer to all these only to indicate that this age above all ages is a period in history when it should be our prime duty to preach the Gospel of Grace to all our fellow men and women.
The love shown in Christ by our God to mankind should constrain all of us who are followers and disciples of Christ to do all in our power to see to it that the Message of Salvation is carried to those of our fellows for whom Christ Our Saviour was sacrificed but who have not had the benefit of hearing the good news.
Since nobody can interfere in the realm of God we should tolerate and live side by side with those of other faiths. However, if the threat is posed we shall not fail to resist with courage any such incursions.
We wish to recall here the spirit of tolerance shown by Our Lord Jesus Christ when He gave forgiveness to all including those that crucified Him.
In these modern days, there are a multitude of things published in print and broadcast by radio which captivate the human mind and spirit; many new ideas are disseminated by the learned. Many wonderful appliances are produced to make life more and more comfortable.
The rich powers have passed on from exploring and exploiting this earth and are vying with each other to explore and conquer the moon and the planets. Knowledge is increasing in a bewildering manner. All this is good, wonderful and praiseworthy. But what will be the end of it all?
It is Our firm belief that only what the Lord wills will be done. We should be careful that the results thus achieved by mankind should not meet with the fate of the Tower of Babel, the handwork of those people of old which came to pieces in their own hands.
The Apostle Paul says: "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God"
"The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise and they are vain."
The reason for this is because generally speaking man makes himself and his wisdom the beginning and the end of his aim in life, and we are convinced that the end of this is destruction and death.
Our Lord Jesus Christ says: "What has a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"
(or)
"What shall a man give in exchange for his own soul?"
Why did the effort of those who tried to build the Tower of Babel come to nothing? Was it not because they tried to live apart from their Creator, and because, vaunting themselves in their wisdom, they tried to build a tower whose top was to reach unto heaven and thus make a name for themselves?
It is Our conviction that all the activities of the children of men which are not guided by the Spirit and counsel of God will bear no lasting fruit,
they will not be acceptable in the sight of the Lord and will therefore come to nought as the Tower of Babel came to nought.
It is for this reason that the Church of Christ, and especially Christian leaders, have such an enormous responsibility.
However wise or however mighty a person may be, he is like a ship without a rudder if he is without God.
A rudderless ship is at the mercy of the waves and the wind, drifts wherever they take it and if there arises a whirlwind it is smashed against the rocks and becomes as if it has never existed.
It is our firm belief that a soul without Christ is bound to meet with no better fate.
Therefore, 0! Christians! Let Us arise with the spiritual zeal and earnestness which characterized the Apostles and early Christians, let us labour to lead our brothers and sisters to Our Saviour Jesus, Who, alone, can give life in its fullest sense!