Latest news with #StCatherinesMonastery
Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Egypt could close world's oldest Christian monastery
Egypt could close the oldest continuously functioning monastery in the world, prompting fury from Christians. St Catherine's, at the foot of Mount Sinai, was built by the order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I between 548 and 565 and has operated as a religious community ever since. However, a court ruling in Cairo has sparked fears that the Orthodox institution will be forcibly turned into a museum and its approximately 20 monks evicted. According to the Egyptian press, the court ordered that ownership of the monastery's land be transferred to the Egyptian state. It has been reported that the decision was taken so the building could be converted into a museum. Less than a month ago, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt 's president, publicly reassured the Greek government that the monastery would continue. Late on Thursday, his office issued a statement pledging 'full commitment to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's Monastery and preventing its violation'. However, there is widespread concern in the Christian world that the court ruling will result in the forcible closure of the monastery and the eviction of the monks. Mount Sinai holds theological significance because it is reputed to be where God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, tasking him with leading the chosen people out of Egypt. It is also the reported location where the 10 Commandments were handed down to Moses. St Catherine's Basilica, with its intricate mosaics, is considered a treasure trove of Byzantine-era religious art. News of the court ruling prompted an impassioned protest from Ierenemos II, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. 'Following yesterday's scandalous ruling, a violent infringement of human rights and, more specifically, of religious freedoms by Egypt's judicial authorities, the world's oldest Orthodox Christian monument, the Monastery of Mount Sinai, is entering a period of great trial – one that evokes memories of darker times in history,' a statement read. 'I unequivocally condemn any attempt to alter the longstanding status that has prevailed in this region for fifteen centuries. I call upon the responsible Greek government – and personally upon prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis [of Greece] – to take immediate and appropriate action to restore lawful order and ensure that the Holy Monastery is not effectively abolished.' Meanwhile, Greek government sources said they would attempt to work with the Egyptian authorities to hold the country to the commitments given by President Sisi during his visit to Greece on May 7. A spokesman for Mr Sisi's office said: 'The Presidency affirms that the recent court ruling consolidates this status, aligning with the points President El-Sisi emphasised during his recent visit to Athens on May 7. 'The Presidency also affirms the importance of preserving the close and fraternal relations that bind the two countries and peoples and ensuring that they are not jeopardised.'
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
An Egyptian court ruled that St Catherine's monastery sat on state-owned land. (AFP file pic) CAIRO : Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St Catherine's monastery in the Sinai peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO world heritage landmark, after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site's status. St Catherine's monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula, and is the world's oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery 'is entitled to use' the land, which 'the state owns as public property'. But on Friday, in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo was 'fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery, and ensuring it is not violated'. The Greek premier's office said Mitsotakis emphasised the importance of 'preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery and resolving the issue in an institutional manner', based on an agreement between the two countries. A Greek delegation is due to visit Egypt next week, the government in Athens said. Sisi's office has defended the court ruling, saying that it 'consolidates' the site's sacred status, after the head of the Greek Orthodox church in Greece denounced it. Tourism development Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens called the court ruling 'scandalous' and an infringement by Egyptian judicial authorities of religious freedoms. He said the decision means 'the oldest Orthodox Christian monument in the world, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai, now enters a period of severe trial – one that evokes much darker times in history'. The Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, is undergoing mass development under a controversial government megaproject aimed at bringing in mass tourism. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. Archbishop Ieronymos warned that the monastery's property would now be 'seized and confiscated', despite 'recent pledges to the contrary by the Egyptian President to the Greek Prime Minister'. Greek foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis contacted his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Thursday, saying 'there was no room for deviation from the agreements between the two parties', the ministry's spokesperson said. In a statement to Egypt's state news agency, the foreign ministry in Cairo later said rumours of confiscation were 'unfounded', and that the ruling 'does not infringe at all' on the monastery's sites or its religious and spiritual significance. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said 'Greece will express its official position … when the official and complete content of the court decision is known and evaluated'. He confirmed both countries' commitment to 'maintaining the Greek Orthodox religious character of the monastery'.
Zawya
4 days ago
- General
- Zawya
President El-Sisi Speaks with Greek Prime Minister (PM) Mitsotakis
Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said President El-Sisi and Greek PM Mitsotakis reiterated their keenness on maintaining the significant momentum in relations between the two friendly countries. The two sides underscored their commitment to further advancing the strategic ties between the two countries toward broader prospects across various fields, in consistency with their historical nature and in a manner that serves the interests of both friendly peoples. The call stressed Egypt's unwavering commitment to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of St. Catherine's Monastery, ensuring this status remains untouched. This commitment is reinforced by the recent judicial ruling that aligns with Egypt's dedication to the sanctity of religious and ecclesiastical sites, and reaffirms the unique heritage, spiritual, and religious standing of St. Catherine's Monastery. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
