Overview

• On May 28, an Egyptian appeals court ruled St. Catherine’s Monastery and its surrounding religious heritage sites part of Egypt’s public domain while preserving monks’ usage rights
• Egyptian presidential and foreign ministry statements insisted the ruling reinforces the monastery’s sacred status and dismisses claims of property confiscation
• The decision is linked to a government development scheme aimed at boosting tourism in the Sinai peninsula, raising concerns over ecological and local community impacts
• Greek Orthodox authorities in Jerusalem and Constantinople condemned the court classification as an infringement on the monastery’s autonomous religious character
• Following a phone call in which President al-Sisi assured Prime Minister Mitsotakis of Egypt’s commitment to the site’s integrity, Greece will dispatch a delegation to Cairo next week