St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai agrees to sign land deal with Egypt, ending yearslong legal fight

Archbishop Symeon of Sinai said on Saturday, Oct. 24, that he will sign an agreement with the Egyptian government over St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. The deal would end a legal dispute over the monastery's land that began in 2015. In a statement reported by To Vima, Symeon said he would sign "as soon as my health permits," on a date to be set with the monks and the Egyptian government. He is receiving medical treatment in Greece.

Symeon said the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Patriarchates of Alexandria and Jerusalem, and the Churches of Greece and Cyprus had sent letters supporting the deal. He thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for giving the monastery more than a year to study the proposal and respond. He said he believed Egypt's Court of Cassation, whose ruling had been due that day after four postponements, no longer had any reason to rule. There has been no word from the court.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty welcomed a letter from Symeon approving the contract. Ministry spokesman Nader Zaki said the letter opens the way to a formal signing once a ceremony date is set, the Egyptian Gazette reported. The ministry said the agreement carries out a May 2025 ruling by the Ismailia Court of Appeal and is meant to end all legal proceedings. Abdelatty said Egypt is committed to protecting the monastery and its religious standing.

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis called it "a historic day for Hellenism and Orthodoxy." In a ministry statement, he said the agreement preserves the religious character of the monastery and its church properties "in perpetuity" and guarantees long-term residence permits for its monks. He thanked el-Sisi, saying his "personal intervention made this agreement possible."

Not everyone agrees. Former Archbishop Damianos, who led the monastery for decades, had urged the Church of Greece to block what he called a "shameful agreement," To Vima reported, and there have been reported divisions among the monks. The May 2025 Ismailia ruling had caused a diplomatic rift between Athens and Cairo. One compromise that has been discussed would recognize state ownership of the land while giving the monastery permanent religious use of it, To Vima reported. The terms of the final agreement have not been published. Founded in the 6th century, St. Catherine's is regarded as the oldest continuously operating Christian monastery.