Westminster Abbey has given its agreement in
principle
to return to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church a tabot, a sacred religious tablet looted during a battle in the 19th century, according to a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday.
Officials at the famous abbey decided
“that it would be appropriate in principle to return the tabot to the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church,” one of the oldest in the world, the statement said, confirming information from
The Art Newspaper.
The British captured this piece of carved wood, a replica of the tables of the Law, during the battle of Magdala, capital of Emperor Tewodros II, which was besieged in 1868 by 13,000 soldiers.
Growing pressure
In Ethiopian tradition, all churches have a covered tabot which is considered holy and can only be seen by the priest.
“We are currently considering the best way to achieve (this return), and are in discussions with representatives of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
This is a complex issue which may take some time
,” said Westminster Abbey.
King Charles III, supreme governor of the Church of England, will have to agree to the return of the sacred tablet to this country in the Horn of Africa.
In Europe, museums and some religious institutions are under increasing pressure to return objects stolen during the colonial era.
Last September, another tabot, a lock of princely hair and other objects looted during the same battle were returned by London to Ethiopia.
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Some discussions are blocked in the United Kingdom, such as that on the Parthenon friezes, others end with loans, like an agreement recently announced by the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) concerning gold and silver objects from the Ashanti royal court (Ghana).
Eleven other tabots are currently in the collections of the British Museum, where they are not visible to the public but only to Ethiopian clerics.
The museum offered to loan these items to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, but the option was ruled out by the clergy due to the high cost of insuring these items.