Abune Merkorios, the fourth patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church, returned after 27 years in exile in the United States, on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. He was welcomed at Bole International Airport in Addis Abeba by high government officials and religious leaders. After a mediation process led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), it was agreed that he would share the title of Patriarch with Abune Mathias, the sixth patriarch of the Church, who will be in charge of Church administration.