Geez New Year is marked by the Eritrean Orthodox Church as the start of the year according to the Julian calendar.
The patriarch's reappearance in public at a church service on 16 July sparked speculation about his imminent release from house arrest and reinstatement to office.
He has been under house arrest since January 2007, after being removed from office, in violation of canon law, for repeatedly objecting to government interference in ecclesiastical affairs.
According Christian religious freedom charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), sources report that as the clamour to hear from the patriarch grew, a heavily-edited video of the patriarch speaking to "workers of the patriarchate" was released. Fresh photographs of the patriarch blessing selected visitors have also surfaced.
However, scepticism surrounding the manner and terms of his release has deepened after the blessing for Geez New Year was delivered by Bishop Lukas, a pro-government cleric who is generally considered to harbour ambitions of being the next patriarch.
According to CSW's sources, the fact that Patriarch Antonios did not deliver the New Year message "is the biggest sign that he is still not restored fully to his position. Under canon law, if a patriarch is around, a bishop should not give the benediction."
It is also seen as further confirmation that the patriarch's apparent release was a ruse by the government to offset international criticism by giving the impression of an improvement in human rights, as well as to ease the path to succession for Bishop Lukas.
CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said Patriarch Antonios remains surrounded by people who do not have his best interests at heart.
He said: "There appears to have been no real change in his circumstances... Abune Antonios is neither truly free nor fully reinstated to his rightful office.
"If he is indeed free, then the Eritrean government must permit the EU Delegation and other members of the international community with a diplomatic presence in Asmara to visit the patriarch and monitor his wellbeing."
The patriarch is among over 10,000 prisoners of conscience in Eritrea, several hundred of whom are Christians.
