Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie was elected as Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries by almost all of the Chapter delegates. He is 46 years of age, Assistant General in charge of Basic Formation and the provinces/delegations of English-speaking Africa (except Eritrea) and Mozambique. Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse G. was born on September 22, 1969, in Harar (Ethiopia). He is the first African to hold the post of Superior General.
Immediately after the vote, the outgoing Superior General, Fr. Enrique Sánchez González, asked Fr. Tesfaye if he accepted the election.
Fr. Tesfaye replied: “My dear confreres, I would like to say a few words.
- Thanks. Thank you for the trust and mercy that you have shown me. Both in the vote as well as in personal dialogues with some, you have shown confidence, solidarity and support. Thanks for it. I would like to say thanks to the confreres who have expressed their reservations, their hesitation. I agree with you and thank you, because I myself am afraid, I too have my reservations and my hesitations. So thanks for your realism.
- Smallness. Our Institute, beginning with St. Daniel Comboni, is a great one, it is a beautiful family of disciples and martyrs for the mission, for Africa and for being at the side of the poor. Our Institute, too, has its problems. Faced by all this, I feel small, a little confrere who has had the experience of the great forgiveness of God and confreres. I feel small before the greatness of our Institute.
- Respect. The General Chapter among its activities must also give the Institute a General Council, as it has just elected the coordinator of this General Council. I respect your dialogue, your discernment and your vote. Out of respect for those who voted for me and for what these votes represent, after having prayed about it, I contacted my spiritual director and others, and especially after the encouragement of Fr. Enrique and the General councillors to accept, I, for the glory of God and trusting in God’s help, in the General Council, the General Direction here in Rome and in you, circumscription superiors, and humbly asking for mercy, I accept to serve as Superior General.”
After the acceptance by Fr. Tesfaye, Fr. Enrique Sánchez G., following the procedure of the elections as stated by the Statute approved on September 8, 2015, said: “Having the Rev. Father Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie received enough votes on behalf of the Chapter, I, Enrique Sánchez González, declare the Rev. Father Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie the elected Superior General of the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
