From the BBC
A halo around the sun startled people in Ethiopia during Sunday’s local elections, with many seeing it as a miracle or a sign from God…
Pope Shenouda himself believed it was a signal from above.
“We accept any sign from God to encourage us in our way,” he said, “and confirm that we are going right in our way.”
Abuna Paulos, the Patriarch of Ethiopia, added his voice to those who believe in signs from God.
“If God reveals himself from the sky,” he told a press conference, “we believers do not get surprised. We only rejoice and double our efforts to thank God. Thank you, God, for revealing a sign.”
Pope Shenouda is the Patriarch of Alexandria, the leader of the Coptic Church in Egypt. The Orthodox Church in Ethiopia has it’s own Patriarch, but he has less seniority. According to the 1994 Census, Ethiopia is 60% Christian and ~33% Muslim. Roughly 50% of the population belongs to the Orthodox Church [CIA World Factbook]