The Albanian Church has expressed its support for the Sinai Monastery

The Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church has published a statement expressing its support for the Orthodox monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai in Egypt. The Albanian Church considers it unacceptable to change the status of the monastery or to expel the monastic community from it. The statement was published on the official website of the Albanian Orthodox Church.

“The presence of Orthodox monks in the monastery has been respected by all states for centuries, making it a symbol of the coexistence of Christianity and Islam. The division of the brotherhood or the conversion of the monastery into a museum in the event of a change of ownership would be disastrous, with countless consequences. The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania expresses its full support for the Brotherhood of the monastery and His Eminence Archbishop Damian of Sinai in this difficult trial. It also calls on the competent authorities and international organizations to make efforts to protect the historical status of the monastery and the uninterrupted continuation of its sacred mission,” – the statement said.

Earlier, Egyptian Foreign Minister Bandr Abdel Atiq denied media reports that the Egyptian government was seeking to change the status of the ancient monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai. According to the head of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the state does not intend to make any changes to the Sinai monastery or expel the monks from there.