RFI’s Paul Marshall wrote an article in Providence this week giving an update on the situation regarding the historic St. Catherine’s monastery in Egypt at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The dispute over the monastery, which is currently at risk of being taken over by the Egyptian government, has created tensions in Greek-Egyptian relations and may jeopardize political agreements in the region. Marshall writes:

Religion is never far from the surface in politics, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, and now a dispute over a key monastery may jeopardize key political agreements in the area.

Much of the Christian world, especially Eastern Orthodoxy, erupted over reports that, pursuant to a May 28 court decision, the Egyptian government was going to annex the historic St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople along with the Orthodox Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Alexandria, the Churches of Greece and Cyprus, and the Greek Union of Theologians all voiced apprehension.

The following week, a Greek Government delegation (St. Catherine’s is Greek Orthodox) traveled to Egypt and there were talks between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Both governments stress that they are taking amicable steps to resolve the matter. The Egyptian President’s office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stress repeatedly that St. Catherine’s site and autonomy is not threatened. Egyptian President el-Sisi emphasized this during his visit to Greece in early May 2025.

However, these assurances, however well-intended, still leave the situation murky and subsequent ‘clarifications’ seem further to confuse matters.

St. Catherine’s may be the Christian world’s most significant monastery. It was founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the sixth century at the foot of Mt. Sinai, believed to be where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. A tree within its walls is held to be the burning bush. It has housed a multitude of historical and religious treasures, including rare manuscripts dating back to the fourth century, one of which is the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest complete copy of the New Testament.

Read the full article: “Dispute Over St. Catherine’s Monastery May Jeopardize Egyptian-Greek Rapprochement.”