By Theodore Kalmoukos – The National Nerald –
Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho, and Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai, spoke exclusively to Τhe National Herald about the recent developments at the Monastery, which have reached the brink of “eviction” as a result of an Egyptian court ruling that considers him and the entire Sinai Brotherhood as “squatters,” disregarding their fifteen-century-long presence there. Currently, 18 to 20 monks reside at the Monastery.
Archbishop Damianos is presently in Cairo, Egypt, from where he gave the interview by phone, and he plans to return to Athens within 7 to 10 days.
He stated: “For over ten years now, we have been in and out of court, because our right of ownership over this barren land—which we always considered ours, handed down to us by sanctified individuals—is being denied. On one hand, these are holy places visited by people from around the world, from which the Egyptian government benefits; yet they do not wish to recognize them as our property.”
He further explained: “The authorities, particularly the Antiquities Service, tell us that yes, you may use them, but they belong to us. And only belatedly did they realize that it is we who have safeguarded these treasures—by our own labor, our own efforts, and our own resources—from the sixth century to the present. Now they say we have no right to manage them.”
The Archbishop emphasized: “We protest vigorously, but all our protests are in vain, because the more powerful party simply says, ‘I want it this way, and so it shall be.’”
He stressed: “This is a grave blow for us—and a disgrace. We want to continue managing what we have preserved for centuries, at great cost, and from our own funds. And now the Antiquities Service comes and says, ‘You will do as we tell you.’”
Archbishop Damianos, who told us, “I am 91 years old today and I have lived in the Monastery since the age of 27—you can imagine the pain in my heart,” was asked what will happen now that the court has issued an eviction order. He responded: “It is judicial manipulation. Back in 1980, the government declared that in areas without a land registry, property owners should file declarations. The Monastery was among the first to submit such declarations—for everything: small gardens, chapels. In total, we submitted 71 files and received a receipt of acknowledgment. We waited for the committee to come and confirm our ownership. Others with far more land were granted ownership. But we received nothing. Twenty years later, the Egyptian state tells us it’s too much, or this or that excuse—and in the end, we were given nothing. Now they tell us: ‘You have no right to be here; you are newcomers,’ when we have lived in Sinai since the sixth century.”
He noted: “We got caught up in unrest, during the period of fanatic Muslim uprisings, and they began to see us as invaders, as if we had recently purchased these lands, as many others have done illegally.”
Archbishop Damianos also stated: “The authorities accuse us of usucapion (adverse possession) and are even demanding payment for it. At this moment, there is no lawyer in Egypt who speaks Greek or is Greek to defend us.”
When asked what they intend to do moving forward, he replied: “Lately, in this situation, we have begun to express our frustration and said: either you give us a solution or we will close the Monastery. But we never truly intended to close it. We didn’t want to cause disruption or jeopardize the entire effort of international tourism, nor did we want to wrong the Egyptians. An agreement was reached between us and the Egyptians, specifically the authorities of South Sinai, as well as the Greek government. Qualified individuals came from Greece, and we reached an agreement that would allow the Monastery to operate more freely and to have some property rights recognized—because one cannot live on spirit alone; material needs exist as well. If we didn’t have the land, how would we survive on donations alone, reaching out constantly for help? Though we agreed on a text, they altered it and presented something entirely different.”
He added: “Even though the great and eminent Mr. Sisi was eager for the agreement to be signed, in the end, they dismissed it, citing absurd arguments. And even while the President of Egypt and the Prime Minister of Greece signed the agreement, someone else from Egypt was telling me completely different things.”
He mentioned that on Thursday, a representative of his met with Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis.
When asked about the current state of the matter, he said: “The Egyptians are trying to downplay it. They claim to love the Monastery, but in reality, they are suffocating it.” He emphasized that “the Egyptians did not want the matter publicized, but they themselves brought it to light—and we are simply defending ourselves. This is a major, international issue.”
Regarding whether any Primates or bishops have contacted him, he said: “Yes, very many.” And in closing, he added:
“I want to thank the National Herald from the bottom of my heart, because you have always supported us and cared for our Monastery.”
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Photo: Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho, and Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai. Photo Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine
