#BreakingNews Catholic Bishop and Priest Released from Prison 75 Days after Arrest in Eritrea

 

A Catholic bishop and an Eritrean priest have been set free. The Eritrean government arrested  Bishop Fikremariam Hagos Tsalim, who was ordained as the first bishop of Segheneity in southern Eritrea in 2012. 
The bishop, age 52, was held for 75 days before his release. The arrest reportedly took place at the hands of Eritrean security officers at Asmara International Airport. The bishop was travelling from Europe. He was being held in Adi Abeto prison along with two other priests, Father Mihretab Stefanos, parish priest of Saint Michael's Church in Segheneity, and Abbot Abraham of the Capuchins, who were also arrested.
On December 28th videos (SEE Below) on Twitter showed the bishop with priests and women religious in the cathedral in Asmara, the Eritrean capital. Archbishop Menghesteab Tesfamariam of Asmara was present at the greeting. Authorities also released Father Mihreteab Stefanos, a priest from the eparchy who was also arrested with the bishop from the Adi Abeto prison, according to reports.

The population of Catholics in Eritrea is less than 5% of the total of 6 million people.
Catholic News Service explains that on February 9th, Patriarch Abune Antonios, age 94, of the Eritrean Orthodox Church died while in detention. He had been held for 16 years after resisting orders to excommunicate thousands of church members.
Image Screenshot from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCBQG8Dd7oM

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