CAIRO — According to Egypt, a well-known monastery’s sovereignty is guaranteed.
On Wednesday, Egypt’s foreign minister assured his Greek colleague that the Saint Catherine Monastery and its surrounding archaeological monuments will maintain their religious and spiritual significance. According to a statement, that is.
Following an administrative court’s ruling that the state owns the land but upheld the monks’ usage of the property, the Greek Orthodox Church expressed alarm.
“It is our sacred obligation to ensure that Christian worship continues on this holy ground, as it has done for 17 centuries,” the Patriarchate of Jerusalem declared last week in response to the issue. It accepted Egypt’s guarantees that there would be no violations.
The verdict, according to Egypt’s president last week, strengthens the government’s resolve to maintain the monastery’s holy standing.
