The Greek government is working to resolve a growing crisis at Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt. Giorgos Kalantzis, Greece’s Secretary-General for Religious Affairs, was dispatched by senior government officials and arrived at the monastery on 1 September to mediate.
The crisis stems from a dispute between the Abbot, Archbishop Damianos, and a cohort of monks who oppose his leadership, with senior Eastern Orthodox officials publicly taking sides. The Ecumenical Patriarchate, led by Bartholomew I, the most senior Eastern Orthodox bishop, has publicly expressed support for Archbishop Damianos, referring to him as “the lawful and canonical archbishop and abbot”. However, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, led by Theophilos III, has sided with the dissenting monks.
