Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday referred to a “preliminary mutual understanding” over the fate of the St. Catherine’s Monastery of Mount Sinai, speaking in Parliament during an extraordinary political leaders’ debate on foreign policy issues.
The iconic Orthodox Christian institution in the southern Sinai is considered as the longest continuously inhabited monastery in the world and a “cradle” of Greek Orthodox monastic tradition. An abrupt ruling by an Egyptian appellate court last May threatened to strip the monastery of its estates and pilgrimages on the peninsula and even transfer the monastery compound’s ownership to the Egyptian state.
An intense round of diplomatic contacts between Athens and Cairo followed in the wake of the development, as the former is particularly sensitive to the status of the Orthodox communities in the Middle East.
Speaking in Parliament, Mitsotakis said the agreement – ostensibly with the Egyptian state – safeguards the monastery’s status and prohibits any conversion of the latter, something that also extends to other related worship sites. Additionally, the brotherhood of monks serving at St. Catherine’s will also be protected.
“The issue became a matter of exploitation. The issue of rights over the Monastery did not arise yesterday. Today, there’s a preliminary, mutual understanding between the two sides on the issue. The final say is up to the Holy Brotherhood of the Sinai, which will ensure the character of the monastery in perpetuity. Any conversion of the monastery, as well as other places of worship, is prohibited, and care is taken to ensure the monks’ continued presence. This government has both the will and the fortitude to resolve long-standing problems,” Mitsotakis said.
