Jerusalem Delegation in Athens to Address Sinai Monastery Dispute

Photo: Orthodox Times

ATHENS — A three-member delegation from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has arrived in Athens to address the internal crisis at Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai, following the deposition of Archbishop Damianos by a faction within the Brotherhood.

Acting at the request of Archbishop Damianos, the Patriarch of Jerusalem dispatched the delegation “with the aim of peaceful resolution and restoration of ecclesiastical communion.” The committee includes Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantine, Chief Secretary of the Patriarchate; Archimandrite Ieronymos, exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Greece; and Archimandrite Christodoulos, secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod. They are accompanied by Professor Theodoros Yiangou, a canon law expert.

The delegation visited the Holy Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens, emphasizing that dialogue must begin “with prayer, humility, and faith.”

“The principal aim is reconciliation and healing of the sacred institution of the monastery, safeguarding the witness of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church,” the Patriarchate said in an official statement.

Previously, UOJ reported that an assembly of 15 monks was held, reportedly resulting in the decision to suspend Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, the monastery’s abbot. Archbishop Damianos later released his own statement on the matter.

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