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Ethiopia’s Armenians: Long history, small numbers

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Published August 2, 2014 2:03pm ET
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Ethiopia’s Armenians: Long history, small numbers
In this Sunday June 1, 2014 photo, Armen Madatyan and his 1 year-old daughter Stella light a candle at the church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There is a small handful of people keeping the Armenian community in Ethiopia alive. Despite a fall in numbers from a peak of 1,200 in the 1960s to less than 100 people today, the Armenian school, church and social club still open their doors. (AP Photo/Elias Asmare) | Elias Asmare

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The numbers at the St. George Armenian Apostolic Church in Addis Ababa are not adding up. Church records show an average of two funerals a year, but a wedding only every three years and a baptism every five.

“Some people don’t come to church vertically. Only horizontally,” Vartkes Nalbandian said with a laugh.

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