Abp. Damianos Criticizes Jerusalem, Moscow Patriarchates in Scathing Resignation Letter
The abbot of St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai stated his wish to find a successor as soon as possible.
SINAI — On Thursday, September 4, the New Calendar feast of the Prophet and Godseer Moses, Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, who also serves as abbot of St. Catherine's Monastery, announced his intention to step down after finding a successor.
In his address letter making this announcement, the abbot did not only speak about his plans to step down and do what will, in his estimation, secure the future of the monastery – he also spoke definitively against the Jerusalem Patriarchate's involvement in the Sinai saga, and blamed the Moscow Patriarchate for the "climate of discord and division in the Orthodox world." Damianos also said that the silence of the Patriarchate of Alexandria following the threats to the monastery by the Egyptian government "amounts to support," and alleged that those who sought to exploit the rift between the Sinaitic brotherhood had Russian connections:
"Crises always reveal much about many. None will forget those who immediately supported the Holy Monastery when the decision of May 28, 2025, became known: the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, the Church of Greece, and the Church of Cyprus. Later, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of Serbia, and the Church of Albania joined. The painful silence of the Patriarch of Alexandria amounts to support. All the other Patriarchates and Orthodox Churches remained silent, except for the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, whose statement sought only to confirm an imperialistic policy against the Holy Monastery of Sinai, aimed at reducing it to a simple monastery under the Patriarch of Jerusalem. For this climate of discord and division in the Orthodox world, the responsibility lies exclusively with the Moscow Patriarchate, but the consequences are borne by the whole of Orthodoxy. It is no coincidence that the first to exploit the internal rift in the Sinaitic Brotherhood were organizations, networks, parties, and individuals connected to Russia’s attempt to dismantle Orthodoxy, promoting views opposed to Orthodox Christian theology and morality."
The archbishop even took things a step further, recalling Irenaios, the deposed predecessor of Patriarch Theophilos III, who was dismissed after being accused of selling three Church properties to a Jewish organization without approval from the Holy Synod of Jerusalem.
Following his deposition, Irenaios lived in a small apartment in the Jerusalem Patriarchate's building, and for several years he did not leave the apartment. He claimed he was imprisoned there by Patriarch Theophilos, while the Patriarchate argued that he had "voluntarily imprisoned" himself. Irenaios later admitted in an interview that he was not prevented from leaving the building, but feared he wouldn't be allowed to return if he did. After seeking assistance from the Greek government following a bout of health issues, the former patriarch spent the rest of his days in Athens, where he reposed in 2023. He was buried in his birthplace, as Patriarch Theophilos allegedly refused to allow his burial in Jerusalem.
Archbishop Damianos writes:
The Holy Monastery of Sinai has no tradition of staging coups, defrocking Patriarchs, and then confining them in internal prisons to break them spiritually, mentally, and physically. The Monastery would never show the pettiness displayed personally by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos when the inevitable time came for the repose of his predecessor Irenaios. Who can forget that the only ones who then cared for the dignity of the departed were the Greek Government and the Church of Greece? Without them, the late Patriarch would still be unburied, since the Patriarch of Jerusalem forbade his burial anywhere within his jurisdiction. Thankfully, even in the worst moment of its history, nothing like this has happened in the Holy Monastery of Sinai — and we all must ensure it never does.
The full address of Abp. Damianos is published in full below:
“Today, September 4, 2025, on the feast of the great Prophet Moses, one of the protectors of Sinai, the restoration of normality and legality in the Holy Monastery of Sinai has at last become a reality. But this alone is not enough to achieve the greater goal of safeguarding its centuries-old status and, above all, its future. Beyond legality and order, unity among the Fathers of the Holy Sinaitic Brotherhood is also required.
I am aware that, at 91 years of age, the thoughts of many, both within and outside the Monastery, focus on the fact that my succession is only a matter of time. This very thought is the real cause of the internal crisis that broke out in the Holy Monastery of Sinai. The responsibility lies with us all, first and foremost with the Sinaitic Fathers, though not all to the same degree. Unfortunately, the succession crisis coincided with the crisis triggered by the decision of the Court of Appeal on May 28, 2025, with the result that the situation became existential.
It has now become evident from events that all the Sinaitic Fathers, including the 11 dissenters, share certain common positions, which must serve as the basis of a new unity:
A) On the crucial issue of the court decision of May 28, 2025, we all share the same view and goals. This decision overturns the centuries-old status of the Holy Monastery, opening the way to its de-sacralization and conversion into a museum.
B) The solution to the existential crisis we face must be found in cooperation with the Egyptian and Greek governments and must take the form of a tripartite agreement. Of course, efforts to vindicate the Holy Monastery through the Egyptian courts must and will continue under the responsibility of the new Archbishop of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho, together with the united Sinaitic Brotherhood.
C) Beyond the issue of property, the solution must necessarily include:
a) recognition in Egyptian law of a unique religious legal entity (sui generis) under the name “Greek Orthodox Holy Royal Autonomous Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-trodden Mount Sinai”;
b) the granting of Egyptian citizenship to the Archbishop of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho, and Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Sinai;
c) securing residence permits for the Fathers through special procedures;
d) protection of the private collection of relics and manuscripts of the Holy Monastery; and
e) recognition of the purely religious character of relics (e.g., holy remains) that have no artistic value.D) Law 5224/2025 (Government Gazette A’ 142) is not only a milestone in the Monastery’s struggle to secure its future and well-being but also a crucial strategic choice, both for the Monastery and for Greece. The Monastery’s relationship with the Greek state is now defined by the Constitution and this law, forming a strong and impenetrable shield of protection for the Monastery both in Greece and worldwide.
E) The Sinaitic Brotherhood must admit new Fathers in order to increase its numbers.
F) Pan-Orthodox canon law regarding the Holy Monastery of Sinai was irrevocably defined by the Sigillion of Ecumenical Patriarch Gabriel IV in 1782. At the same time, the ultimate pan-Orthodox arbiter remains the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Holy Monastery of Sinai is ‘autonomous, self-ruling, free, inviolable, and not subject to any Patriarchal Throne.’
Crises always reveal much about many. None will forget those who immediately supported the Holy Monastery when the decision of May 28, 2025, became known: the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, the Church of Greece, and the Church of Cyprus. Later, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of Serbia, and the Church of Albania joined. The painful silence of the Patriarch of Alexandria amounts to support. All the other Patriarchates and Orthodox Churches remained silent, except for the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, whose statement sought only to confirm an imperialistic policy against the Holy Monastery of Sinai, aimed at reducing it to a simple monastery under the Patriarch of Jerusalem. For this climate of discord and division in the Orthodox world, the responsibility lies exclusively with the Moscow Patriarchate, but the consequences are borne by the whole of Orthodoxy. It is no coincidence that the first to exploit the internal rift in the Sinaitic Brotherhood were organizations, networks, parties, and individuals connected to Russia’s attempt to dismantle Orthodoxy, promoting views opposed to Orthodox Christian theology and morality.
Christianity in the Middle East is persecuted, and Orthodox Christians — today’s Romiosyni — are gravely threatened, as was demonstrated by the terrorist attack against the Church of Prophet Elias in Damascus. Without the Greek state and its active involvement, nothing will be saved. Neither Russia, nor Jordan (which the Patriarch of Jerusalem praised as the “shield” of Christians when it unblocked his accounts — something actually achieved by Greece), nor any other country has the sincerity, courage, commitment, and love for Romiosyni that Greece has.
Yesterday, I received a letter from Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, whom I respect and honor deeply, but which is canonically at least weak and unfounded. This is because:
It ignores my letter of August 7, 2025, to His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem, in which I explicitly told him that I had not invited him to intervene in the affairs of the Monastery;
It ignores the canonical and legal defects of the supposed invitation from certain Fathers;
It treats the Monastery as an appendage of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, contrary to the aforementioned Sigillion, and therefore presumes it can issue orders to open the Monastery’s gate;
It disregards the fact that the Assembly of Fathers has the right to impose on the Abbot and Archbishop the refusal of His Beatitude’s invitation.
I am nonetheless glad for this letter, because at last the role of the Patriarch of Jerusalem in this ecclesiastical coup is revealed — after all, he has the expertise — and above all in deepening the division within the Sinaitic Brotherhood. But the most telling point is the timing: the letter was sent only when the Patriarchate of Jerusalem learned that today I would announce my decision for overcoming the crisis that afflicts the Brotherhood, and that my decision has the agreement of the Fathers, the Greek Government, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the Church of Greece.
The Holy Monastery of Sinai has no tradition of staging coups, defrocking Patriarchs, and then confining them in internal prisons to break them spiritually, mentally, and physically. The Monastery would never show the pettiness displayed personally by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos when the inevitable time came for the repose of his predecessor Irenaios. Who can forget that the only ones who then cared for the dignity of the departed were the Greek Government and the Church of Greece? Without them, the late Patriarch would still be unburied, since the Patriarch of Jerusalem forbade his burial anywhere within his jurisdiction. Thankfully, even in the worst moment of its history, nothing like this has happened in the Holy Monastery of Sinai — and we all must ensure it never does.
I must also briefly mention the hypocrisy of many brethren regarding the so-called case of Ms. A.S. Thanks to her, many Greeks first heard the term ‘syneisaktos’. If instead of a woman it had been a man, the same “circles” and “brothers” would once again have poisoned the world with the same insinuations, dependencies, and relationships — only this time even more disgraceful. This fate, sadly, befalls all Hierarchs whom God has granted long years of life. Yet in the case of Ms. A.S., there is also an abundance of misogyny, pietism, and puritanism. The Lord knows and judges!
I informed the Greek government yesterday of my decisions, which are in line with what I have already discussed with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece. Since it is now evident that the Sinaitic Brotherhood agrees on the strategic goals and tactical methods for confronting the existential crisis of the Monastery — the Monastery to which I have dedicated my whole life — the time has come for me to assume my responsibility and guarantee the succession process. These procedures will begin immediately and must be completed quickly, but also properly, so that the Sinaitic Brotherhood, united, can focus on solving the great problem we face.
The procedural details will be completed in the coming days, will be announced once agreed upon by all, and will be implemented with the assistance of the Egyptian authorities, the Greek government, and the Church of Greece.
I forgive everyone, and I ask forgiveness from all!”
Previously, UOJ reported that Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, abbot of the Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai, had announced his intention to step down.
