Overview
- A Sinai court ruled on May 28 that lands used by the 1,500-year-old monastery are state property, granting the monastic community usage rights but transferring formal ownership to Egypt.
- Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and Presidency issued statements rejecting any plan to close the monastery or evict its monks, saying the ruling reinforces its unique religious and spiritual status.
- Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens condemned the decision as an infringement on religious freedoms and warned it threatens the monastery’s centuries-old Christian heritage.
- Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expects Egypt to honour commitments made during their May 7 Athens summit and is awaiting the full court text.
- Home to over 3,300 manuscripts and 16,000 rare books, the UNESCO World Heritage site now faces uncertainty as it becomes entangled in a broader South Sinai land dispute and mass-tourism development project.