Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
After finishing his graduate studies in Greece, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church assigned him to its monastery in Jerusalem. He was consecrated as a bishop on January 21, 1979, and later became the Archbishop of Wolega Diocese in [Western Ethiopia]. He served in Wolega for six years. From 1985 to 1991 he was elected twice as deputy Patriarch under Abune Tekle Haimanot, the third Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and also under Abune Merkorewos, the fourth Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.