Controversy Over the Status of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai: The Greek Government Prepares to Sign an Agreement

Heated debates continue in the Greek Parliament regarding the future status of St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai. Despite government statements that a historic agreement with Egyptian authorities will soon be reached, opposition forces insist on the need for a public debate on the details of the deal within the walls of parliament, according to the Orthodoxia News Agency.

Dimitrios Natsios, chairman of the NIKI party, expressed serious concern and demanded that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis present the draft agreement along with all its annexes and maps. The lawmaker pointed out that the previous 2024 draft treaty guaranteed the monastery full ownership and administrative autonomy, whereas the current initiative, in his view, could replace ownership rights with land leases.

In response to the criticism, the Greek government emphasizes that this agreement is strategic in nature and, for the first time, provides the monastery with clear legal protection at the state level. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis stated that the text of the document will be made public immediately after it is signed. The initiative is supported by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchates of Alexandria and Jerusalem, as well as the Churches of Greece and Cyprus.

Earlier, Archbishop Damian of Sinai, Farah, and Raif expressed his readiness to sign the agreement, which is intended to finally resolve long-standing legal disputes with the Egyptian state. Prime Minister Mitsotakis noted that the treaty will legally enshrine the religious character of the monastery and the monastic way of life, guaranteeing the inviolability of the holy sites.