Archbishop Symeon issued a statement on Saturday announcing that he would sign the agreement with the Egyptian government regarding the Holy Monastery of St. Catherine of Sinai,, thereby putting an end to the pending legal issues that threatened the very existence of the monastery.
In his announcement, Archbishop Symeon emphasized the support received from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, as well as the Churches of Greece and Cyprus, which, as he states, expressed “their unreserved fraternal support for the signing of the aforementioned agreement, with the hope and expectation that it will contribute to the safe resolution of outstanding issues and the safeguarding of the Monastery’s historical and legal rights.”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“This development certainly gives the Sinai Brotherhood and me personally the encouragement to proceed with the signing of the Agreement in the near future, as soon as my health permits, at which time the specific date of signing will be set in consultation with the Fathers and the Egyptian government,” continues Mr. Symeon.
He also notes that following this development, “we are certain that, following today’s announcement regarding the aforementioned agreement, there is no longer any reason for the Supreme Court of Cassation of the Arab Republic of Egypt to issue its ruling” (Editor’s note: it was expected today, October 24).
Archbishop Symeon’s announcement
The Greek Orthodox Holy Monastery of the Theobadist on Mount Sinai (St. Catherine’s), one year ago, following my humble election as the new Archbishop of Sinai and while the decision of the Ismailia Court of Appeals dated May 28, 2025 (i.e., prior to my election), the decision of the Court of Appeals of Ismailia had created specific, binding legal consequences within the Egyptian legal system, I received from the esteemed Egyptian Government a draft agreement between the State of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Holy Monastery. The aforementioned proposed agreement sought to further clarify aspects of the court ruling and the manner of its implementation, in a manner consistent with the centuries-old traditions, so as to ensure the uninterrupted monastic life of the Monastery and to clarify its status and function within the framework of Egypt’s modern legal order.
The Monastery of Sinai entered into the dialogue bound by Egyptian law and the decisions of the Egyptian courts, and with a sense of responsibility toward its centuries-old spiritual heritageher spiritual heritage, as well as a sense of responsibility toward the Egyptian authorities, the country of the Nile within which it has flourished for fifteen centuries.
At the same time, it requested additional time in order to thoroughly study the proposal, to submit counterproposals for improving certain aspects of the agreement regarding its practical implementation (to this end, it was supplemented with other explanatory supporting documents), and to scientifically compile the dossier concerning its status quo and the documentation of the properties under discussion, a dossier that was compiled as a scientific study.
It is with great satisfaction that we wish to emphatically state that, at this point, the Monastery had the understanding of the esteemed Egyptian Government and its Excellency President AbdelFattah al-Sisi, with the result that the dialogue has already been extended for over a year—a development to which my own recent health issues also contributed.
We have been supported in this effort by the Greek government, as well as by many other friends of the Monastery around the world. It is well known that the Monastery of Sinai has historically enjoyed a special status of ecclesiastical autonomy. At the same time, however, it serves as an Ark of Ecumenical Orthodoxy, and issues concerning it have the potential to become major concerns for Christians worldwide, and particularly for Orthodox believers. Thus, it is no coincidence that during the intervening period, the Sinai Brotherhood has been the recipient of various contradictory suggestions and information from both authorized and unauthorized sources, from experts and from those who were well-meaning but uninformed.
Nevertheless, without ignoring or underestimating any well-documented opinion, the Brotherhood judged that it had, first and foremost, the most to gain from the centuries-old and unbroken experience of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, and especially that of the Patriarchs of our own East.
In this context, we turned to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with which we have canonical ties, so that, after receiving detailed information regarding the aforementioned draft agreement and related matters, to obtain the authoritative opinion of the Church of Zion on the matter. His Beatitude Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, recognizing that the matter requires careful consideration, and in accordance with our own wishes, further addressed His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Beatitude Theodore, Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Autocephalous Churches of Cyprus and Greece.
Today, with great emotion, we are able to report that all of the aforementioned Churches, having been informed in detail, have expressed their approval through patriarchal and synodal letters—which have been filed in the monastery’s archives—and have expressed their wholehearted fraternal support for the signing of the aforementioned agreement, with the hope and expectation that it will contribute to the safe resolution of pending issues and the safeguarding of the Monastery’s historical and legal rights.
This development certainly gives the Sinai Brotherhood and me personally the encouragement to proceed with the signing of the Agreement in the near future, as soon as my health permits, at which time the specific date of signing will be determined in consultation with the Fathers and the Egyptian government.
This development, however, is first and foremost an expression of the unity of the Orthodox Churches of the East. The God-blessed Mount Sinai rejoices because, through the honorable Patriarchal and Synodal Letters it received, it served as the occasion for this unity to be reaffirmed once again, and because the Monastery of Sinai, situated “in a land desolate, inaccessible, and arid,” Monastery of Sinai enjoys their love and practical support in complete unanimity.
In this climate of deeply entrenched trust between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Monastery of Sinai, we are certain that, following today’s announcement regarding the aforementioned agreement, there is no longer any grounds for the Supreme Court of Cassation of the Arab Republic of Egypt to issue its ruling.
We are confident that during the period of implementation of the Agreement, the climate of deep-rooted trust between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Monastery of Sinai will allow us to resolve any specific outstanding issues that may arise regarding the Agreement and the accompanyingaccompanying documents.
Expressing our heartfelt gratitude to the Most Reverend Primates and their respective Holy Synods, we offer thanksgiving to the Almighty Lord and humbly believe that the intercession of our patron saint, the Great Martyr Catherine, has brought theentire Eastern Orthodox Church in our region to the side of the Monastery of Sinai, in whose institution the age-old, deep, and fraternal relationship between two nations and great civilizations—Egypt and Greece—is reaffirmed.
Finally, addressing everyone, we affirm that the God-blessed Mount Sinai stands, by the grace of God, “in its rightful place,” with the Fathers ministering there, striving, and welcoming every pilgrim, visitor, and traveler.
Source: PROTO THEMA
