Egyptian President: Sinai Monastery Will Not Be Violated

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CAIRO—The office of the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, released a statement May 29, 2025 in response to reports that the monks of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai were to be expelled following a court decision.

Following the final verdict of the Ismailia Court of Appeals, reports began circulating in the Greek Press that the monks were being expelled from the 6th century monastery. UOJ reported earlier today on remarks from Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis.

The ordeal stems from attempts by the governate of South Sinai to remove the monks to develop the property into a museum for tourism. They further claimed that the monks and pilgrims were encroaching on archeological sites not directly attached to the monastery's property.

It should be noted that the government considers the property to be public land owned by the government of Egypt.

The Ismailia Court of Appeals ruled that the monks and followers of the monastery are entitled to use of the monastery for religious purposes, and to perform all Orthodox rites under the appropriate ecclesiastical authorities, in line with Presidential Decree No. 306, signed in 1974.

The court also ruled that monks and pilgrims should not be impeded from using adjacent archeological sites for the purposes of religious rites and pilgrimage, and that no ruling by the local authorities to encroach on these privileges could be considered legitimate.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reaffirmed his full support for the monastery, saying that it was crucial in maintaining "the close and brotherly relations that bind the two brotherly countries [Greece and Egypt —Ed.] and peoples and not compromising them."

Earlier this month, during his visit to Greece, al-Sisi stated that the relationship between Egypt and the St. Catherine's Monastery is an eternal contractual relationship that cannot be touched.

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