Following a court ruling in Egypt, the ownership and assets of the historic St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai have been transferred to the Egyptian state. The monks have been ordered to vacate certain properties, although they are allowed to remain in the Monastery to fulfill their religious duties—as long as permitted by Egyptian authorities. Reports suggest that the Monastery is at risk of being converted into a museum.
Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece strongly condemned the decision, describing it as a violation of religious freedoms and a symbolic “fall” of Hellenism and Orthodoxy. He accused the Egyptian government of breaching international norms and called on the Greek state and the international community to intervene immediately to protect the Monastery’s religious, spiritual, and cultural mission.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it is awaiting the official court documents and reaffirmed that there is no room for deviation from the mutual understanding reached between Greece and Egypt. The Greek Foreign Minister promptly contacted his Egyptian counterpart to express concern and emphasize previous commitments made during bilateral discussions.
It is worth noting that during the 1st Greece–Egypt High Cooperation Council held on May 7, both Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had highlighted the symbolic importance of preserving the Greek Orthodox character of St. Catherine’s Monastery.
Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras also reacted strongly, speaking of unprecedented international discredit and marginalization of Greece. He urged for global mobilization to defend the Monastery, calling it the oldest Orthodox Christian monastery and a spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism.
