The Sacred Monastery of Sinai and Its Problems
By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou
By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou
There is a great deal of discussion about the Sacred Monastery of Sinai, which emerged after a decision by the Egyptian State Court, and great confusion prevails, not only among the general public, but also among journalists and even politicians.
However, the issues under discussion existed prior to the Court's decision and are related to property rights, the religious space, the cultural character of the place, and the Sinai Brotherhood which resides within a recognized State governed by specific legislation, among other factors. This indicates that it is a complex issue and the solutions are difficult, as the geopolitical strategy of the region is also involved.
As theologians and ecclesiastics, we know the holiness of this space that has lasted for over three thousand years.
There the Jewish people, under the guidance of the Prophet Moses, received the law of the Old Testament, there prominent ascetics lived in asceticism during the Christian period, this place is revered by Muslims, since for them too Moses is considered a prophet. Therefore, in this space the three great monotheistic religions meet, although Christianity is not considered a religion, but a Church.
Previously, in 1993, 32 years ago, I dealt with the holiness of the Sinai area from an Orthodox ascetic and theological perspective, because an astonishing asceticism was experienced there, which still responds today to all the theological, philosophical, and psychological searches of modern man.
For example, the book known as "The Ladder" by Saint John of Sinai, Abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Sinai, written in the 7th century AD, encompasses the entire ascetic method of the Sinaitic Fathers, has attracted the attention of modern psychology and relevant studies have been conducted, because it not only shows modern “psychoanalysis”, the analysis of the passive part of the human soul, but also the “psychosynthesis” of man.
I consider these to be givens and do not need further development. What is important in our days is how the Brotherhood of the Sacred Monastery of Sinai will be able to live in this environment, which in one way or another exerts a significant influence on people and emits an “energy” of enormous dimensions, as even those unrelated to theology admit.
The fact is that the Egyptian state considers the Sacred Monastery and its surroundings as an archaeological site protected by the laws of the state. Therefore, efforts must be made to interpret the use of the space, which will serve the ecclesiastical needs of the Brotherhood.
First of all, I think that a way must be found for the free stay of people who want to become monks there and freely exercise their ecclesiastical and monastic duties. In fact, this Brotherhood considers itself, and so it is, the successor of the Fathers who created all these treasures, before the establishment of the modern Egyptian State.
Then, a way must be found to grant the monks proper use of all this space. Now, the use is based on sand, such as the sand of the Sinai desert. The desirable thing is to give the Brotherhood, which lives in asceticism in the Sacred Monastery, the Juridical International Legal Personality, and the feasible thing is to give it the Legal Personality of Private Law, so that it can perform its duties with greater freedom.
The highlighting of the problems that have long preoccupied the Monastery of Sinai, along with the staffing of the Brotherhood, is an opportunity to confront them, for the preservation not only of the ecclesiastical heritage, but also of a living theological tradition, which responds to the existential struggles of contemporary man.
Source: Published in NEA on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
