Sinai Archbishop Damianos declared a threat to his life after a coup in the monastery

On August 26, 2025, Sinai Archbishop Damianos declared that St. Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt had returned to legality and normal life after a serious crisis caused by internal conflict. At the same time, in a video message he admitted that his life was under threat and called on the authorities of Egypt and Greece to guarantee his safety. This is stated on the RNN portal.

According to the Archbishop, a group of monks, without his knowledge, organized a meeting with the intention of changing the rules of governance of the monastery, thereby in fact trying to carry out a coup. “These monks, without my approval, appointed a meeting to introduce changes to the rules of operation of the monastery. They attacked me, but the brethren who did not take part in the conspiracy defended the monastery and expelled the violators beyond its walls,” he said. Despite this, the expelled tried to return to the monastery, which left the situation tense.

Later, a Synaxis of the brethren took place in the monastery, in which the conspirators excommunicated from the Church did not participate. “The monastery returned to legality and orderliness,” Archbishop Damianos emphasized. He thanked Saint Catherine the Great Martyr, whom he called the protectress and guardian of the monastery, and called for humility and forgiveness: “We must make a great apology for the fact that the pettiness and ambitions of some became a cause of temptation for the faithful.”

Nevertheless, the situation around the monastery remains difficult. The expelled monks continue to try to return to the monastery by force, despite the presence of the Egyptian police and security services. There are no official comments from the authorities of Egypt yet, which only increases the tension around the Sinai monastery.

Earlier we reported that in the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine on Sinai there was a meeting of the monastery brethren with a three-member delegation of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, appointed to resolve the conflict that arose after the decision of part of the monks to temporarily suspend Archbishop Damianos from the performance of his duties. During the visit, the parties discussed ways of reconciliation, emphasized the importance of preserving the traditional status of the monastery and expressed their intention to act in the spirit of unity and conscious responsibility.