WCC urges Egypt to secure Saint Catherine’s Monastery’s rights after court ruling claims the site for the state, threatening 1,500-year-old monastery and the monastic community.
Newsroom, June 29, 2025, Gaudium Press – The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has issued a pointed statement expressing grave concern over the future of the 1,500-year-old Monastery of Saint Catherine in Egypt, following a controversial Egyptian court ruling in May 2025 that declared the historic site property of the Egyptian state. The statement, released at the close of the committee’s meeting from June 18 to 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa, comes ahead of the 6th World Conference on Faith and Order, set to take place in Egypt.
The WCC has called on its Secretary General to send a formal letter to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, urging a “clear and binding agreement” to recognize the monastery’s perpetual right to the site and to safeguard the religious life and duties of its monastic community, which is linked to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The committee also pressed for UNESCO’s involvement to protect the monastery’s status as a World Heritage Site and its distinct Christian monastic character.
The legal battle over the monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai and revered as the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world, began in 2012. Egyptian authorities claimed ownership of the site, culminating in a May 28, 2025, court decision that designated the state as the owner of the entire property, including the monastery itself. As a result, the monks, who have maintained an unbroken presence at the site for 15 centuries, are now considered tenants, their residency subject to annual permits that the government may choose not to renew.
“This ruling places the monks in a precarious position,” the WCC statement noted, highlighting the monastery’s operation “without interruption for 1,500 years.” The committee’s letter to President al-Sisi will reiterate the organization’s concern and demand guarantees for the monastery’s autonomy and the monks’ rights.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty responded to the controversy in an article published in a daily newspaper on June 28, 2025. He described the monastery as a “vital symbol of religious harmony” and a cornerstone of Egypt’s cultural and historical legacy, emphasizing its role in fostering interfaith dialogue. Abdelatty defended the court’s decision, arguing that international criticism overlooks Egypt’s legal framework and dismissing claims that the ruling undermines religious freedom as “inaccurate and unfounded.”
The monastery, constructed between AD 548 and 565 by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized in 2002 for its unparalleled spiritual and archaeological significance. Built on the biblical site where God is said to have appeared to Moses in the burning bush, it houses the revered Sinai library, home to ancient manuscripts and a unique collection of pre-iconoclastic wooden icons. The monastery has been a spiritual cradle for figures like John Climacus and Gregory of Sinai.
The ruling has drawn sharp criticism from the Orthodox patriarchates of Athens, Jerusalem, and Constantinople, which condemned the decision for granting the Egyptian state ownership of the monastery and its assets while ordering the monks’ expulsion. In protest, the monastic community has closed the site to the public. The patriarchates noted that the monks are permitted to remain only at the discretion of the state, their new “landlord.”
Critics argue the legal pressure traces back to the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in 2012, with subsequent administrations continuing efforts to assert control over the site. Some observers describe the moves as part of a broader campaign to marginalize the monastery, despite Egypt’s public commitments to religious freedom and minority rights.
Greece, a historical supporter of the monastery, has expressed dismay over the ruling, which raises questions about Egypt’s intentions. The decision casts doubt on the country’s pledges to protect religious diversity and combat extremism, as the state’s actions appear to contradict its stated principles.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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