Today, 23rd April, the Flag of St George is flying over the British Embassy in Addis Ababa. And it’s a timely reminder of yet another historical link between Britain (in this case, specifically England) and Ethiopia – the fact that we share a patron saint.
We don’t know much about St George. He was soldier of noble birth, from Cappadocia, in modern Turkey. He lived in the 3rd century AD and was probably a tribune in the Roman army. He became a Christian; protested against Roman persecution of Christians; and was imprisoned, tortured and finally martyred by beheading. Much of the rest is shrouded in legend. But many of course associate him with the slaying of a dragon in Libya and saving a beautiful princess. Symbolically, the dragon may represent the Devil (or possibly the Roman Emperor).
But what is most unusual is the extraordinary following St George has since inspired. He has been venerated throughout the Christian churches (Anglican, Catholic and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox) and is patron saint not just in England and Ethiopia but in many other countries, regions and cities – including (and far from limited to) Aragon, Barcelona, Beirut, Bulgaria, Catalonia, Egypt, Geneva, Genoa, Georgia, Germany, Gozo, Greece, India, Iraq, Istanbul, Lithuania, Ljubljana, Moscow, Palestine, Portugal, Rio de Janeiro, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and Venice. By occupations ranging from Boy Scouts (if that’s an occupation!) and soldiers to farmers and butchers. And by sufferers from a range of seriously unpleasant diseases.
Perhaps today it would be right to put aside the mythology and focus on the virtues associated with St George. Because courage, honour, gallantry and fortitude remain as important today as they ever were. And when we see the Flag of St George fluttering in the breeze, we should bear in mind that this is not about unthinking nationalism – it’s about a commemoration that links millions of people throughout the world, in a huge variety of places, who are recalling their shared patron saint today.