Abune Mathias became the 6th Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the election held on 28 February 2013 where he received 500 of the 806 the votes cast by a college of electors representing various sections of the Church.[9] He was enthroned at Holy Trinity Cathedral on 3 March 2013, in the presence of the hierarchs of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Egypt, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in India and many other representatives of other churches.