On September 4, 2025, the feast day of the prophet Moses, Archbishop Damian of Sinai, who has led Saint Catherine's Monastery on Sinai, announced his intention to step down from his position and initiate the succession process. This was reported by the Orthodoxia News Agency.

The 91-year-old archbishop emphasized that the issue of transferring authority within the monastery had long been a matter of time. In his address, he linked his decision to the necessity of unity among the brotherhood in the face of "existential challenges," including the ruling of the Ismaili Appeals Court on May 28, 2025, which threatens the centuries-old status of the monastery.

In his message to the brotherhood, the archbishop outlined the foundations for the future course: a collective response to judicial decisions threatening the monastery; cooperation with Egypt and Greece with the support of the Greek Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate; legal recognition of the monastery's special status and protection of its relics and manuscripts; and the acceptance of new monks to strengthen the brotherhood.

Damian reminded that the all-Orthodox status of the monastery was "finally and irrevocably established by the seal of Ecumenical Patriarch Gabriel IV in 1782," which guarantees its autonomy and independence from any patriarchal thrones.

At the same time, the archbishop sharply criticized the position of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, accusing it of attempting to "deepen divisions within the brotherhood" and striving to bring the monastery under its jurisdiction. It is noteworthy that on September 3, the Patriarch of Jerusalem sent a letter to Archbishop Damian demanding his presence at the Synod to explain the crisis within the monastery.

Archbishop Damian concluded his address with the words: "I forgive everyone and ask for forgiveness from all." These words marked the culmination of months of conflict within the brotherhood, where some monks openly opposed the archbishop's leadership. The monastery has become embroiled in legal proceedings in Egypt, and discussions about its status have intensified within the Orthodox world. The situation has been further complicated by disagreements between supporters of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and those insisting on the monastery's autonomy.