Saint Catherine’s Monastery, the 6th-century Orthodox landmark at the base of Mount Sinai, has been plunged into a bitter leadership crisis as its archbishop and a group of defiant monks accuse each other of misconduct, threatening the site’s fragile ties with the Egyptian state.
Archbishop Damianos, head of both the Sinai Archdiocese and Saint Catherine's Monastery, locked horns this week with a group of dissenting monks he accused of staging a “coup” against his authority.
According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Damianos expelled the monks on Tuesday morning, shut the gates of the historic monastery, and convened a new council without them. He reportedly described the monks as “conspirators and insurgents” who had violated the monastery's statutes.
The monks, undeterred, have refused to vacate the area. Their grievances, laid out in a 23-page letter leaked to the Orthodox news outlet Orthodoxia, accuse Damianos of administrative mismanagement, financial impropriety, and dereliction of religious duties—including absentee leadership and neglect of the monastery's spiritual calendar. The monks allege that Damianos has spent little time in Sinai in recent years, often missing key religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas.
A monastery under siege
This internal schism comes months after President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reaffirmed the state's commitment to protecting the monastery's Greek Orthodox identity.
The monastery, which is tied to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, is a focal point for religious tourism and Orthodox pilgrimage, especially from Greece.
Despite Damianos' request, Egyptian police reportedly declined to remove the monks from the monastery's vicinity. Sources close to the archbishop say he fears for his safety and has appealed to both the Greek and Egyptian governments for support. “My life is in danger,” Damianos was quoted as saying, according to Kathimerini, as he urged Cairo and Athens to intervene.
The dissenting monks, for their part, say Damianos arrived at the monastery accompanied by hired guards and used force to evict them—an allegation his aides deny.
The monks argue that Damianos' ousting is justified, citing poor financial stewardship, including the allocation of only 60,000 euros to the monastery from over 530,000 euros in annual revenue.
“His personal expenses exceeded 62,000 euros,” the monks wrote. “While the monastery struggled, he sold real estate without the consent of the general assembly.”
High stakes for Greek-Egyptian diplomacy
Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdel Aaty and his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis. June 4, 2025.Analysts warn that the crisis could affect ongoing negotiations between Athens and Cairo over the legal status of the monastery and its surrounding lands.
Damianos is currently the only senior cleric at the site with Egyptian citizenship—widely seen as essential for signing future bilateral agreements. His removal could complicate or delay those talks.
This backdrop of tension is further complicated by a controversial May 2025 court ruling, which recognized the monks' right to use monastery land but upheld the state’s ultimate ownership, designating parts of it as protected natural reserves. Church leaders in Greece condemned the decision, calling it an infringement on ecclesiastical property. Greek Archbishop Ieronymos II criticized the decision, arguing it undermined legal norms and threatened the sanctity of church-owned property.
While Egypt's presidency and foreign ministry have reiterated their respect for the monastery's religious standing, no official statement has been made regarding the recent expulsions. Meanwhile, Greek media outlets report that Egyptian security forces have been seen near the site, allegedly siding with the ousted monks. Greek media coverage suggested that some security personnel may have been tacitly backing the ousted monks, though no official confirmation has been issued.
As the gates of Saint Catherine's remain shut, with Damianos and his loyalists inside and the exiled monks encamped outside, the fate of this UNESCO World Heritage Site—and the fragile diplomacy that surrounds it—hangs in the balance.
