Behind-the-scenes negotiations and diplomatic contacts over the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai have reached a critical juncture, as the clock ticks down to an upcoming session of Egypt’s Supreme Court of Cassation in Cairo on Saturday — a hearing that could deliver a final ruling on the monastery’s ownership status.
Against this suffocating backdrop, Archbishop Ieronymos has convened an emergency session of the Standing Holy Synod (SHS) today, with a single item on the agenda: the latest developments regarding the acceptance or rejection of the agreement concerning the Sinai Monastery. It should be noted that the Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece holds no ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Monastery of Sinai. According to sources, the session’s primary objective is to issue a statement of support for Archbishop of Sinai Symeon, backing whatever decision he makes regarding whether to sign the agreement between the Monastery and the Egyptian state.
Today’s convening of the Synod is being interpreted as a last-ditch effort to break the deadlock, with all moves being made in full coordination with Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, who maintains spiritual pastoral authority over the Monastery.
According to sources, Archbishop Ieronymos has been in regular communication with Archbishop of Sinai Symeon and is expected today to seek the positions of the twelve bishops on the matter.
It is worth recalling that at the heart of the legal dispute lies a cassation appeal filed before Egypt’s Supreme Court of Cassation last July by the resigned Archbishop Damianos. However, no one knows with certainty whether the court will proceed to a definitive ruling or whether the hearing will be postponed for a fifth time.
Church sources who have been officially briefed state that “no hearing date has been set for the cassation appeal,” citing “official documents” they claim to have in their possession. However, competent sources in Athens flatly characterize this claim as “a lie.”
As for the Sinaite Brotherhood, it continues to appear deeply divided — not so much over the question of signing the agreement, whose contents have not been made public, but primarily over internal matters concerning the administration of the Monastery.
On the question of the agreement itself, other sources indicate that in recent days there has been an intense effort to persuade the monks — or at least a portion of them — to acknowledge the risk of a more unfavorable court ruling compared to that of the Ismailia Court of Appeals, such as the prospect of the Monastery losing further rights. Others, however, remain particularly cautious and unyielding, refusing to consent to the agreement. As an ecclesiastical figure who visited the Monastery of Saint Catherine in recent days told parapolitika.gr, the monks’ position is captured in the phrase: “If we sign, they’ll take everything with our signature. If we don’t sign, they’ll take everything by force.”
At the same time, a significant number of monks continue to press for a proposal put forward under the previous administration: referral to international arbitration. That proposal envisioned Egypt retaining ownership of the land while the Monastery retains ownership of the buildings, with neither party permitted to sell or change the use of either, based on the principle of “mutual neutralization.”
The window for reaching a compromise is extremely narrow. It is estimated that any initiative should have been concluded by today, as there is a real possibility that no further extension will be granted. Well-informed insiders, however, maintain that even an initial declaration of acceptance of the agreement would be sufficient to open the path toward resolving all outstanding issues related to the monastery’s ownership status and its overall standing in Egypt.
