The United States is seeking to protect the historical and religious significance of Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt, the State Department has said, at a time that the legal and ownership status of land and properties associated with the monastery remains unresolved for more than a year.
Last year, an Egyptian court had ruled that the Greek Orthodox monks, who have occupied the land for centuries, must vacate certain facilities because the land, although used by the monastery is ultimately state-owned public property.
Greece and Egypt had eventually finalized an out-of-court deal that would be signed by the leadership of the monastery and the Egyptian authorities to guarantee the character of the monastery in perpetuity. The deal would prohibit any conversion of the monastery as well as of the other places of worship.
A place of immense religious significance for Christianity
Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai is the world’s oldest continuously operating Christian monastery, holding immense religious significance as the traditional site where Moses received the Ten Commandments, and is recognised as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Responding to a question by AMNA, a spokesperson for the US State Department stressed that “the United States recognizes the historical and religious significance of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, the world’s oldest continuously operating monastery, and seeks to protect it.”
Washington’s statement comes as the legal and ownership status of land and properties associated with the monastery remains unresolved, following the court ruling for the Greek Orthodox monks’ eviction issued in Egypt on May 28, 2025.
On July 18, Masad Boulos, a senior adviser to the US president for Arab and African affairs, met with Archbishop Simeon of Sinai at the monastery’s Cairo dependency.
According to the briefing, Boulos conveyed President Donald Trump’s personal interest, as well as his own, in preserving the monastery’s historic status quo. He also expressed his intention to support efforts to safeguard its historical and spiritual identity.
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