Writing for ReligionUnplugged, RFI’s Paul Marshall detailed the latest developments around the historic St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, which an Egyptian court determined to be state property earlier this year. Marshall argues that recent disputes over the monastery’s leadership have unfortunately weakened St. Catherine’s response to the legal challenges from the Egyptian courts. He writes:

St. Catherine’s, the Christian world’s oldest continuing monastery, drew international attention earlier this year because of concern that the Egyptian government might take over its sacred property. A complex May 28 Egyptian regional court decision threatened to take title of most of its land.

The monastery is in the news again, and for unhappy reasons connected to the court decision. Under pressure from Greek Orthodox leaders internationally, the monastery’s head, Archbishop Damianos, announced that he would resign as of Sept 12. Meanwhile, on Sept. 8, the Synod of the  Patriarchate of Jerusalem unanimously resolved that Damianos be already deposed.

These changes roil the already complex negotiations over St. Catherine’s status. This great monastery lies at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. It is reputed to contain the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses. Its ancient documents are unrivaled. The Codex Sinaiticus, a fourth-century manuscript, contains most of the Greek Old Testament and is the oldest complete copy of the New Testament.

That it has survived for over 1,000 years in a remote area connecting continents and traversed by marauding armies is itself something of a miracle. Also, it is reported to contain a covenant of protection granted by Islam’s Prophet Mohammad in the year 623 and reaffirmed by Ottoman Sultan Selim I in the 16th century. Behind its fortified walls, it has survived in one of the world’s roughest neighborhoods.

Despite its historic status, the court’s convoluted May 28 decision means that the Egyptian government could assert property rights over most of  the monastery grounds. The Egyptian government downplays this concern and stresses “the importance of preserving the close and fraternal relations that bind the two countries and peoples and not compromising them.”

Read the full article: “Leadership Crisis Roils St. Catherine’s Monastery Amid Egyptian Court Dispute.”