One of the world’s oldest Christian monasteries — the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai — is facing an escalating crisis that now spans legal, ecclesiastical, and diplomatic realms.

The spark came from a recent ruling by an Egyptian court that declared the land surrounding the monastery to be state property. While the monastery complex itself retains its religious status and remains under church use, the monastic community fears this could mark the beginning of a broader erosion of their autonomy — possibly leading to the secularization of the sacred site.

Archbishop Damianos, the abbot of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, described the court decision as “legal sophistry,” noting that the community has spent over a decade gathering legal documents to prove its historical rights — all of which, he says, have been ignored. “We have lived here since the sixth century,” he said bitterly, “yet they tell us we are outsiders.”

In response to the Egyptian ruling, the Greek Parliament began deliberating on July 25 over a bill that would formally recognize the monastery under Greek law — without changing its religious jurisdiction. The proposed legislation, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, would create a legal entity in Greece to represent the monastery’s interests.

“This is a historic initiative,” said Greek Minister Sofia Zacharaki. “The Monastery of Saint Catherine is a treasure of humanity. Greece has a duty to protect it.”

The dispute has also prompted diplomatic engagement at the highest levels. Monastery representatives recently met with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, and both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have publicly affirmed their intent to preserve the monastery’s status. However, Archbishop Damianos warns that actions by Egyptian officials on the ground diverge from these official statements.

“They want to profit from pilgrimages, but refuse to acknowledge our rights,” the Archbishop said.

Compounding the external pressure is a growing internal conflict within the monastery itself. On July 30, a group of 15 monks sent a letter to Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem demanding the removal of Archbishop Damianos, who has led the monastery for 27 years. They accuse him of mismanagement and of opposing the Greek-backed legislative initiative.

Archbishop Damianos dismissed the accusations as “uncanonical” and denounced the monks’ move as “a conspiracy against divine and sacred order.” He emphasized that their action violates the monastery’s statutes, which require a two-thirds majority of the brotherhood for such decisions.

The Monastery of Saint Catherine falls under the autonomous Church of Sinai, which is in turn under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. While the Patriarchate has not yet formally intervened in the leadership dispute, it has issued a statement condemning the Egyptian authorities’ actions and affirming its commitment to protecting the monastery.

“The monastery is under our protection,” the statement read. “We condemn any encroachment on its status — whether physical or jurisdictional.”

As legal and ecclesiastical tensions mount, the fate of one of Christianity’s most revered sites remains uncertain, caught in a web of geopolitical interests and internal divisions.