Unforgettable Prince Stephanos

Stephen Mengesha knows where the original Ark of the Covenant is located. He told me so.
In fact as a boy prince known as Prince Stephanos, this favorite great grandson of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, spent time exploring the ancient city of Aksum, where the the most important, historical and religious object in man's history is likely buried in the bowels of an Ethiopian Orthodox church, St. Mary of Zion.
Others have written thousands of words about the Ark's supposed location, including the esteemed journalist Graham Hancock (author of 'The Sign and the Seal'), and even the Ol' Columnist, who spent time in Ethiopia and Israel on an extended search, which began in 1990 and continues to this day.
In a follow-up column to Thursday's 'Unforgettable' -- Gershon Salomon -- who believes he has been given the task of the rebuilding the Third Temple on Jerusalem's Holy Hill, Prince Stephanos believes the original Ark of the Covenant would be necessary for such an esteemed structure to be completed.
In the past, Prince Stephanos was instrumental in supplying me with valued information about Ethiopia's obsession with the Ark, which I have related in the three-volume 'The Glory of the King.'
However, sometimes, it's wise to look back on notes of conversations I had with him. With Israel so much in the news these days, this conversation was startling, for the Prince told me about a possible war that could rage over the Ark of the Covenant.
Corbett: What do you see as its future?
Prince: If it's found, and if it's such a sacred item for the Jewish faith, what's to stop Israel from waging war to get it back? It's not a matter of diplomatic negotiations or going to the United Nations. This is something the world Jewry around the globe believes it's necessary to build the Third Temple and if that's how important it is, the chances of Israel going to war to get it (are greatly increased). It's a fact that since Israel's creation, it has been inclined to strongly support Ethiopia, so the pressure from the Orthodox Jewish community in this case is there. They are not going to tell you, it's there. Absolutely not. But they also have a fascination of what if it's there in Aksum and if that's true we've lost it, so where is it, and if that story of Ethiopia's is true, then we want it. So there's pressure on whoever is in power in Israel to pursue the thought.
Corbett: Isn't it true there's a replica of the Ark in every Ethiopian Orthodox Church?
Prince: Yes, that's true. An Ethiopian Coptic Church can't be consecrated unless there's a replica of an Ark. In an Ethiopian Orthodox church there's a place for it and it's carved out of wood. It used to be carved out of marble, supposedly the same type of stone it was carved from originally.
In other conversations with the Prince, he firmly claimed there have been searchers for it, from Mussolini to the Israelis.
Corbett: What is the importance of the Ark?
Prince: The building of the Third Temple is the cornerstone of the revival of the Jewish faith and the coming of all Jews to Israel. Finding the Ark of the Covenant is paramount for this to happen and the coming of their Messiah. So even though it's unspoken, they're on the look out for it, and many times they have explored the possibility of the Ethiopian claim. It has been pursued by various people throughout history prior to the Italian occupation (through the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church) and after the restoration of the Emperor to the throne (in 1941). Even today, they're still looking for it.
Corbett: Is it possible there's an ark on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem?
Prince: The lack of an ark being mentioned in the book, 'In The Shadow of The Temple,' isn't evidence the Israelis don't care about it. After all it's the cornerstone. If you're going to build a temple, you have to have something to put in it and no where in Jewish traditions does it say that God is going to bring it down from heaven. There's nothing of that nature being mentioned in prophecy. The building of the Third Temple I just mentioned requires the Ark inside it or else it would be a meaningless building.
Corbett: I've read, probably in one of Grant Jeffrey's books, that during the evacations underneath the Temple Mount that they've spotted something that looks like the Ark. Is this a duplicate.
Prince: There is a duplicate Ark. The rabbincal council knows about it.
Corbett: There are lots of duplicates around. Isn't that true?
Prince: Yes. Finding the original Ark of the Covenant is an interest by the Catholic Church and the Pope during the 1936-1940 Ethiopian occupation by Italy and Mussolini and there's a good indication that the Catholic Church was looking for it.
Corbett: Was that one of Mussolini's aims?
Prince: Not Mussolini's, but he was persuaded by the Pope and, of course, the Pope has been criticized for blessing Mussolini's mission to Ethiopia because of that.
Corbett: What about Hitler, did he have any interest in the Ark?
Prince: No.
Corbett: The hit movie, 'The Raiders Of The Lost Ark,' was based on Hitler's obsession with finding religious artifacts such as the Ark. Was this true?
Prince: I never heard of Hitler's interest it. That's pure fantasy, but it would make a good movie, wouldn't it?