ABSTRACT
The claim of the continuity of traditions is the motto of all Churches. A Church is always based on tradition, but we must not forget that it is also subject to innovation. Religious institutions are first of all naturally led to adapt to the political contexts of the territories where they are established. A Church also evolves because of the religious plurality existing on its territory. Of course, the authorities of religious institutions are reluctant to admit the influences they may be subject to from other religions. But in other fields of research, it has been shown that the relations between different religious institutions, present on the same territory, have generated a co-construction in which each party models its own identity because of the other. If Churches innovate because of contacts with other religious institutions, can we see the impact on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church? This paper presents here a phenomenon that raises questions: since the early 2000s, Orthodox cathedrals have been appearing all over the Ethiopian territory. As will be shown, this phenomenon undeniably characterizes an innovation within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Does this phenomenon reflect an adaptation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to the Ethiopian religious context?
