Sinai Monastery: Ecclesiastical status, international protection, and challenges of modern legal landscape
By Archimandrite Athinagoras Soupourtzis*
The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai is not merely a monastic centre of profound spiritual significance; it is a complex institutional entity, bearing ecclesiastical, legal, and international dimensions, called to operate within a fragile and often contradictory geopolitical landscape.
The challenge to the Monastery’s property status, which first emerged in 2010 and has been reignited by recent judicial developments in Egypt, does not directly threaten religious freedom or the Church’s right to carry out its religious mission—rights that the Egyptian state itself has formally committed to uphold. Rather, the issue at hand concerns the financial and administrative viability of the Monastery: without securely held assets, legal certainty regarding its facilities, and the free presence of monks (with the exception of the abbot), the very operation of the Monastery is effectively undermined.
It must be emphasized that the Monastery of Sinai is not an ordinary ecclesiastical institution. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a designation that carries clear legal and international obligations. The Egyptian state, through the formal submission of the Monastery’s candidacy for UNESCO listing, has made explicit commitments to preserve not only its religious function but also to safeguard its property autonomy and administrative integrity.
This is precisely why Greek-Egyptian diplomacy is now called upon to seek political solutions that transcend the narrow application of domestic legal provisions. A potential resolution could involve either the renewal or revision of an agreement between the Egyptian state (at the regional level) and the Archbishop of Sinai, or even the drafting of a formal interstate agreement, incorporated within the already robust bilateral framework between Greece and Egypt.
In all scenarios, it is vital that Egypt implicitly acknowledges Greece’s right—and indeed, its obligation—to care for the Monastery, a form of international “droit de regard”, historically, culturally, and institutionally grounded.
The discrepancy between Egypt’s public assurances and the recent judicial rulings is a cause for legitimate concern. At the same time, however, it highlights the urgent need for swift political management before the situation reaches an irreversible point.
The mission, character, and historical identity of the Sinai Monastery are non-negotiable. Preserving its canonical and legal autonomy is a fundamental prerequisite for safeguarding the Orthodox spiritual heritage it embodies.
In an era where property rights, cultural memory, and religious freedom are increasingly under strain, Sinai stands as a call to conscience. Defending the Monastery is not merely a theological or legal imperative—it is an act of responsibility toward History and Culture.
*Professor of Ecclesiastical and Canon Law, Volyn Theological Academy of Ukraine – Visiting Professor, Supreme Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens
Source: orthodoxtimes.com
