Egypt and Greece have agreed to protect the status of St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Greece announced that they had reached an agreement aimed at preserving the status and safeguarding the rights of St. Catherine’s Monastery—one of the oldest active Christian centers in the world. According to Reuters, diplomatic efforts to protect the site began after a recent Egyptian court ruling called into question the monks’ ownership of part of the land adjacent to the monastery complex.

St. Catherine’s Monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is revered by followers of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. According to biblical tradition, this is the very place where the prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments. The legal proceedings, which had caused concern in Athens, concerned plots of land—gardens and vineyards—that the monks had been using for decades.

Following the meeting in Cairo, Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis emphasized both sides’ intention to ensure the preservation of the monastery’s centuries-old traditions and its unique Orthodox character. For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatti assured that the court’s decision does not hinder religious activities: the monks will retain full access to all historical and spiritual sites within the complex, including the famous library that houses the oldest Christian manuscripts.