The president of Egypt stated June 6 that his country remains committed to protecting the religious status of the Mount Sinai-based 6th-century Greek Orthodox monastery, which has been the center of much concern since a May 28 Egyptian court ruling about its legal status, according to a June 9 report from The Morning Star News.
The outlet reported that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi expressed this commitment about St. Catherine’s Monastery during a phone conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
An Egyptian press release stated that in the conversation, El-Sisi “stressed Egypt’s unwavering commitment to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of St. Catherine’s Monastery” and that the May 28 ruling upholds “Egypt’s dedication to the sanctity of religious and ecclesiastical sites and reaffirms the unique heritage, spiritual and religious standing of St. Catherine’s Monastery.”
The statement closely resembles what El-Sisi had told Mitsotakis in a previous phone conversation May 30, when the Egyptian president said that Cairo was “fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine’s monastery, and ensuring it is not violated.”
The May 28 ruling determined that the monastery is an archaeological site that falls under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, according to Morning Star News.
Despite public assurances from Egyptian officials from the outset, the ruling drew concern from much of the international Christian community, the monastery’s monks, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which stated May 30 that it was “deeply troubled” by the ruling.
The Patriarchate “acknowledges the official statements issued yesterday by the Egyptian authorities, assuring the sanctity and wholesome integrity of our monastery and the refrain from any infringement over it,” the statement read. The Patriarchate added that it will be keeping watch on the situation and if necessary “will condemn and act upon any encroachment on the Monastery or infringement over access to this holy site.”
CatholicVote reported June 2 that the monks caring for the monastery would still be allowed to be at the monastery, although reportedly with restricted access. However, the monks described the ruling as a “de facto expulsion.”
On June 4, Greece’s foreign affairs minister, George Gerapetritis, led a delegation to Egypt to discuss the situation. Both countries are committed to working quickly to resolve the issue and securing the monastery’s rights, Gerapetritis said after the meeting, according to news outlet eKathimerini.
“The intention of both Egypt and Greece is to move forward based on the centuries-old tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery,” Gerapetritis said, “given its Greek Orthodox religious character.”
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