Foreign Ministry reacts to Egyptian court decision on Sinai monastery

Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis has told his Egyptian counterpart that “there is no room for deviation” on the common understanding reached by both countries on the status of the historic Greek Orthodox St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, the Foreign Ministry has said.

The call from Athens to Cairo followed media reports that an Egyptian court on Wednesday issued a decision that paves the way for the confiscation of its property by the Egyptian state and the eviction of its monks.

Speaking to reporters on the issue, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lana Zochiou said that “the governments of Greece and Egypt have been working systematically lately towards an agreement that will ensure the sacred Greek Orthodox character of the region.”

The ministry is awaiting the decision of the Egyptian court, she added.

“The Greek Foreign Minister immediately contacted the Egyptian Foreign Minister and made it clear that there is no room for deviation from the common understanding of the two sides, which was expressed by the leaders of the two countries in the context of the recent Supreme Cooperation Council in Athens,” she said.

Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, head of the Church of Greece, said that “following yesterday’s scandalous decision involving the violent violation of human – and specifically religious – freedoms by the Egyptian judicial system,” St Catherine’s is “now entering a period of great tribulation – one that evokes much darker times in history.”

“The monastery’s property is being seized and expropriated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing an existential threat,” he warned.

It was reported in February that Athens and Cairo agreed that the status of Catherine’s Monastery, which has operated uninterrupted since its founding in AD 546 by Byzantine Emperor Justinian, would be preserved.

The Greek Orthodox monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002, holds cultural, religious and historical significance as the world’s oldest continually operating Christian monastery.

The negotiations, led by senior Greek officials, aimed to defuse tensions over claims in Egyptian media that challenged the monastery’s ownership and status. The discussions culminated in a joint declaration ensuring the protection of the monastery’s Greek Orthodox identity and cultural heritage.

Source: ekathimerini.com