Christian communities across the Middle East and East Africa face pressure from political instability, demographic decline, and shifting state regulations. These conditions make the continuity of long-standing Christian presences dependent on clear legal protections and external support when disputes arise. Greece, because of its historical ties to Orthodox populations and its wider diplomatic activity in the region, is central to such efforts.
While Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Egypt are usually the epicenter of assaults on religious freedom, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s regime in Ethiopia, despite its Orthodox legacy, has also increasingly sought to assert state control to the detriment of religious freedom. This broader setting explains the relevance of a recent case in Ethiopia, where Greece worked to safeguard the Greek Community School in Addis Ababa, one of the last organized elements of a once substantial Greek Orthodox presence in the country. For American observers who track the pressures on Christian communities and the geopolitical competition influencing emerging states, the episode shows how a U.S. ally can help stabilize vulnerable groups through measured and consistent diplomacy.
Founded in 1953, the school served both the Greek diaspora and an international student body, and it remained central to the identity and continuity of the Greek Orthodox presence in Ethiopia.
The dispute surrounding the school showed how regulatory change, unclear ownership structures, and administrative pressure can affect the viability of historic Christian communities. Founded in 1953, the school served both the Greek diaspora and an international student body, and it remained central to the identity and continuity of the Greek Orthodox presence in Ethiopia, even as the size of the community declined after the 1975 Marxist revolution. When Ethiopia introduced new rules for civil-society organizations and educational entities, these reforms created uncertainty for institutions like the Greek Community School and set the stage for a legal and administrative conflict involving governance, classification, and property rights.
Ethiopian authorities requested that the school re-register as a nonprofit community institution, a process that required a review of its property management structure, internal governance, and compliance with updated regulations. Because the founders had died decades earlier, ownership questions emerged. The Greek Community Idir, a traditional Ethiopian communal association, administers the school’s property and its legal standing came under scrutiny during this process. Judicial involvement followed. In 2023, the Federal Supreme Court ordered the creation of a temporary management board that included representatives from the Ministry of Education, civil-society bodies, teachers, and parents, while additional legal proceedings targeted the existing community leadership with allegations related to financial irregularities.
Representatives of the Greek community argued that these steps threatened the ownership and autonomy of the institution. Their concerns escalated when a member of the European Parliament submitted a formal inquiry regarding the actions of the Ethiopian government. In response, the European Union’s high representative for Foreign Affairs confirmed that the European Union delegation in Addis Ababa was in close contact with the Greek embassy and had offered assistance in addressing the matter with Ethiopian authorities. This engagement signaled broader diplomatic attention and placed the dispute within Europe’s wider interest in the protection of historic Christian communities.
The case illustrates how allied states can help prevent abrupt changes that weaken local social structures or expand opportunities for non-democratic influence.
Available reporting indicates that diplomatic interventions contributed to de-escalation, as Ethiopian authorities backed off their immediate threat to transfer control to the state and instead allowed the school continued to operate. For Greece, the episode showed how sustained diplomacy can support Christian institutions beyond its immediate neighborhood. For the United States, which monitors religious freedom and minority security in regions shaped by strategic competition, the case illustrates how allied states can help prevent abrupt changes that weaken local social structures or expand opportunities for non-democratic influence. For Ethiopia, the episode showed how even Abiy will backdown in the face of sustained international attention. Dictators do not like limelight shining on their abuses.
The case in Addis Ababa also unfolded amid wider geopolitical shifts. Ethiopia was reassessing its allies and partnerships, augmenting its ties with regional and non-Western actors, including Turkey and China. While no public evidence links these relationships to the school dispute, analysts note that regulatory pressure on foreign-affiliated institutions often appears when states adjust their external alignments. This context helps explain why the issue drew European attention and why the protection of community property can carry implications beyond local administration.
The experience of the Greek Community School underscores how the security of historic Christian presences depends on clear legal frameworks, predictable administrative processes, and sustained diplomatic involvement when disputes arise. For Greece, the episode reflects a broader pattern in which diplomatic action contributes to the protection of Christian communities in regions where their future remains uncertain, and it illustrates how Greece must act far beyond its borders to protect its legacy and even centuries-old diasporas. For the United States, it illustrates how it potentially can leverage its partnership with Greece far beyond the Eastern Mediterranean, as a more activist approach toward quiet diplomacy in Athens pays dividends.
