Did the EOTC ask the Coptic Church about IC?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

There have been significant theological discussions and official inquiries between the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) and the Coptic Orthodox Church regarding the status of the Holy Virgin Mary and the concept of the "Immaculate Conception."

The 1950s Inquiries

One of the most notable instances occurred in the 1950s. After the Roman Catholic Church officially proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, the influence of this teaching eventually reached Ethiopia through various channels. Some Ethiopian scholars and clergy began to question if their own tradition—which uses very exalted, poetic language for the Virgin Mary in books like the Weddase Mariam—aligned with this Western view.

The Ethiopian Church reached out to the Coptic Mother Church for clarification on "Ancestral Sin" and the nature of the Virgin Mary’s purity.

The Coptic Response

The Coptic Orthodox Church, particularly during the time of Pope Yousab II and later Pope Shenouda III, provided a very straightforward and firm response based on the Patristic tradition of the School of Alexandria:

1. Rejection of the Dogma: The Coptic Church clarified that the "Immaculate Conception" is a Western innovation. We do not believe the Virgin Mary was born with a different nature from ours.
2. The Necessity of Salvation: The Coptic Church emphasized that if the Virgin Mary were "immaculately conceived" (exempt from the fallen human state), she would not have needed the redemption of Christ. This contradicts her own words in the Magnificat: "And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47).
3. Sanctification vs. Conception: The Coptic perspective taught to the Ethiopian Church was that Mary was sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Most Coptic theologians point to the moment of the Annunciation when the Holy Spirit came upon her (Luke 1:35) to purify her completely so that the Word of God could take flesh from her.

St. Kedane Krestos and the "Incarnate Soul" Controversy

In Ethiopian history, there was also a specific internal controversy regarding the "purity" of the Virgin's soul. Some Ethiopian groups (like the Kabat or certain monastic houses) held views that leaned toward her being created in a special state. The Coptic Church acted as a stabilizer in these disputes, consistently pulling the EOTC back to the Cyrillian (St. Cyril of Alexandria) middle ground: that she is the Mother of God but also a "daughter of Adam."

Current Status

To this day, the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church maintains that any teaching of the "Immaculate Conception" is a "heretical" influence from the West. While the Ethiopian Church uses very beautiful and high poetic titles—such as saying she is "Pure without spot"—the Coptic Church insists this must be interpreted as her personal holiness and her sanctification by the Spirit, not a biological exemption from the human condition at her conception.

If today an Ethiopian bishop teaches the Immaculate Conception, he is doing so in contradiction to the official consensus reached through these historical inquiries with the Coptic Church.