The Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr expresses its profound alarm and sorrow in response to reports that the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt has moved to seize control of the sacred and ancient Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai.
Saint Catherine’s Monastery is not only a place of continuous Christian worship for over 1,500 years—it is a living relic of world heritage, a citadel of Orthodox spirituality, and a sanctuary of peace and pilgrimage. Founded in the 6th century by the Emperor Justinian and entrusted to the Orthodox Church, the Monastery has withstood the storms of history and preserved in its walls a unique tradition of Christian-Muslim harmony, most notably embodied in the Ashtiname of Muhammad, the historic covenant of protection granted by the Prophet Muhammad himself to the Christian monks of Sinai.
A cursory reading of the ruling of the Egyptian Courts provides the basis for uncertainty and abundant concern. The ruling needs further scrutiny. However, there is sufficient language to give concern that language tantamount to claiming “the brothers will benefit” from the Egyptian government regulating the site which has heretofore been considered private property of the Church raises alarm. Similar language has in the past been used in places throughout the region to convert Christian churches, monasteries, convents and other property to State possessions. Inevitably, these decisions result in the loss of the property and the cessation of Christian worship, study, prayer and preservation of what remains of the region’ s ancient Christian identity.
Any unilateral action by Egyptian authorities that challenges the ecclesiastical authority of the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai or any other Christian site would represent a grievous rupture of centuries of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect. Moreover, it would violate the fundamental rights of the Christians of Egypt as enshrined in the Egyptian Constitution, especially at Article 53. Any seizure or interference with the free worship of the Christians inhabiting the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai would also violate numerous international agreements by threatening the spiritual and cultural autonomy of one of the most revered Christian sites on earth.
We call upon His Excellency President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt to immediately clarify its intentions and provide sufficient legal assurances to ensure the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai remains undisturbed. We respectfully remind the Government of its solemn responsibility, under both national and international law, to uphold religious freedom, protect minority communities, and preserve the sacred trust embodied in sites of global significance.
We also appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Hellenic Republic, the United States of America, the Holy See, the United Nations, UNESCO, the European Union, and all governments and people of conscience and good will to stand in vigilant solidarity with the monks of Mount Sinai in protecting humanity’s spiritual inheritance as they have for over 1,500 years.
Seizing the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai would represent a profound wound the soul of Christian civilization and create an unnecessary breach in the ability of all of Egypt’s sons and daughters of any religious confession to live in harmony. History records that an assault on any religious confession has too often been used as an precedent to assail other confession of faith. We must not sit idly by and permit any activities that tear at the fabric of sacred memory and binds humanity to the divine.
Egypt has enjoyed a long history of religious plurality, central to her identity, culture, heritage and even tourism and modern commerce. There is no room in modernity to diminish the rights of an ancient religious identity and their inherent property rights for short-term political purposes. Egypt is a great nation and State because of its diversity, not in spite of it. We pray decision-makers will remember this when contemplating a just resolution to this regrettable situation.
With solemn fidelity to the Gospel of Christ, and in steadfast defense of the Orthodox Church,
Konstantine Pandolfi, E.M.
Grand Knight
