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On June 4, just days after an Egyptian court controversially ruled that the 6th-century Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai belongs to the Egyptian government, the countries’ foreign affairs ministers met in Cairo to discuss the situation.
George Gerapetritis of Greece, said in a June 4 report from news outlet eKathimerini that he and Badr Abdelatty of Egypt “agreed to work in the immediate future toward securing the rights of the monastery, as well as its legal status.”
“The intention of both Egypt and Greece is to move forward based on the centuries-old tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery, given its Greek Orthodox religious character,” Gerapetritis also said.
On the day of the meeting, the Greek Ministry Foreign Affairs X account posted a photo of Gerapetritis and Abdelatty shaking hands and smiling.
As CatholicVote previously reported, an Egyptian appeals court ruled May 28 that the monastery is property of the Egyptian state, with some state officials arguing that the decision helps to protect the monastery’s cultural heritage.
Though the monks who have been caring for the monastery are still allowed on the premises, with restrictions, they have said the ruling marks a “de facto expulsion,” according to Fides, the news agency for the Dicastery for Evangelization.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem said May 30 it was “deeply troubled” by the decision, adding that it “condemn[s] any infringement on the physical or jurisdictional status of our places of worship.”
Al-Monitor reported May 30 that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, telling him that Cairo is “fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine’s monastery, and ensuring it is not violated.”