“The ecumenism of martyrs is an invitation for us (here and now) to follow the path toward more and more meaningful unity together”. Those words were spoken by the Pope on receiving Patriarch of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church Abune Mathias I, to whom he said that “martyrs and saints of all ecclesial traditions are already one thing before Christ; their names are written in the only Martyrologium of the Church of God”. “Yours has been a Church of martyrs ever since its beginning, and today you are still testifying devastating violence against Christians as well as other minorities in the Middle East and in some places of Africa”: Francis made a new appeal “to the persons in charge of the political and economic destiny of the world”, for them to promote “peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect and reconciliation, mutual forgiveness and solidarity”. “Your country is making great efforts to improve the living conditions of the population and to build up a better society, based on the rule of law, and respect of the role of women”: that was the recognition of the Pope, who mentioned, in particular, “the problem of lack of water, with serious social and economic consequences”. According to Francis, there is “much room for collaboration between Churches, in favour of common good and defence of creation; I am quite sure the Catholic Church of Ethiopia is ready to work together with the Orthodox Tewahedo Church”, said the Pope, hoping for “new time for brotherly friendship between our Churches”, in spite of the “burden” left by the history of “painful misunderstandings and diffidence; for that burden, we beg God for forgiveness and recovery”.