Christian leaders have condemned a court ruling that the properties of a 1500-year-old monastery in Sinai belong to the Egyptian state. Source: CNA.
An appeals court in the Egyptian city of Ismailia has ruled that the monks of St Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula have the right to use the monastery and surrounding religious heritage sites. However, the court also reaffirmed that these sites remain the property of the state as part of Egypt’s public domain.
The ruling has sparked grave concern within the Greek Orthodox Church, which denounced what it described as “an attempt to alter a system that has been in place for 15 centuries.”
In contrast, the Egyptian state issued reassurances regarding the monastery’s status.
His Beatitude Ieronymos II, archbishop of Athens and All Greece, condemned the verdict as a grave violation of human – especially religious – freedoms. He said the monastery is “undergoing a great trial reminiscent of darker times in history.”
“The monastery’s properties are being seized and confiscated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing a genuine threat to its existence,” the archbishop said.
He called on the Greek government and international bodies to recognise the magnitude of this ruling and to take urgent action to safeguard fundamental religious freedoms.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed deep concern regarding what it referred to as the “seizure of lands surrounding the monastery”. In a statement, the patriarchate reaffirmed its full ecclesiastical authority and protection over the site.
A spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied allegations that the monastery or its surrounding lands had been confiscated. Speaking to the Middle East News Agency, the spokesperson clarified that the ruling merely formalises the legal status of the monastery.
“According to the court’s decision,” he said, “and in recognition of the monastery’s spiritual and historic significance, the monks will retain full use of the monastery and nearby religious and archaeological sites. Remote and uninhabited natural reserve areas without proven ownership documents will remain under state jurisdiction.”
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Egyptian court ruling on St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai sparks outcry (By Souhail Lawand, CNA)