Corriere links Mitsotakis–Sisi deal to historic sell-off of the Sinai Monastery on the Altar of cheap energy. On the altar of cheap energy! Corriere della Serra links the issue of the Monastery of Sinai to the Mitsotakis-Sisi agreement – So what if a little bit of history is sold off?
Deep down, very deep down, it is nothing more than a Christian monastery. And what does it matter if it is the oldest in the world? If it was founded by the mother of Emperor Constantine?
If it were built on the spot where Moses received the Ten Commandments and the biblical bush burned. It houses an amazing Byzantine library, second only to the Vatican, and one of the most important collections of icons in the world. Whether it was protected by Muhammad himself, and later by the Crusaders, it became a holy place for Jews as well. Whether even Napoleon dared not touch it, and it withstood the attacks of ISIS. What does it matter that UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site? In Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s Egypt, you will have no god but tourism, and only the general’s decrees are now the law.
Last Wednesday, three judges in Sinai reopened the case of ‘the governor against the monks of St. Catherine’s Monastery,’ poring over documents and expert reports. And they ruled — after fifteen centuries of history and years of pressure since the time of the Muslim Brotherhood — that the time had come to change its use: ‘The state is the owner of the site as public property’ and therefore ‘has the right to use it as it sees fit.’ From a place of resurrection to a holiday resort.
It had always been the rais’ dream: to transform Saint Catherine and link it more to diving for tourists from Sharm El Sheikh than to the Divine. ‘The goal,’ says a source at the AsiaNews agency, ‘is to turn it into an attraction similar to the Pyramids or cruises on the Nile.’
The monastery has always welcomed tourists — 4-5 thousand a week — but in Cairo this is considered too little: in the heart of the nature reserve, large hotel complexes are being planned to attract Americans and Europeans en masse, overcoming the only obstacle: the Greek Orthodox monks, who offer work to hundreds of Bedouins, unpopular with the regime, in the olive groves around the monastery. The siege has been going on for years. And the legal loophole was found when the monks were asked, under pressure from the governor of Sinai, to retrieve 6th-century documents from the archives to prove their ownership — documents that are now missing. The government judges ruled without hesitation. And where Moses’ rod struck, the ruling says, from now on the state treasury will strike: the monastery’s property passes to the state and the monks must leave their cells, ‘they may remain only to perform their religious duties, if the new owner allows it,’ that is, Al Sisi.
In Greece, the reaction was immediate. ‘Scandal,’ said Archbishop Ieronymos: “We are experiencing another fall of Hellenism and Orthodoxy. A violation of religious freedom. The oldest Christian Orthodox monastery is entering a period of severe trial, which awakens memories of dark times.” The powerful Greek community in the United States is also reacting:
‘Saint Catherine is soil trodden by God himself,’ says Archbishop Elpidophoros. “This is a treasure of humanity. Christians, Jews and Muslims have always found peace within its walls. The Egyptian government must commit to its preservation.”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raises the monastery’s flag, fears provocation from Islam, promises to ‘preserve its pilgrimage character’ and ‘resolve the issue.’ He has already contacted a concerned Al Sisi, who, under pressure from the backlash, is now backing down and recalling “ the ancient ties between Greeks and Egyptians,‘ publicly committing to ’preserve the unique and sacred religious status, guaranteeing that it will not be violated.” Twenty days ago, the Egyptian president spoke about the monastery during an official visit to Athens, while his foreign minister hastened to assure that no one would ever touch Saint Catherine: ‘Its religious and archaeological significance will remain completely intact,’ as the judges’ decision and the state’s claims concern ‘only some of the monks’ lands, far from the monastery.’
Is the dispute over? Not exactly. According to the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), the decision to close the monastery remains open. And diplomatic sources estimate that Saint Catherine’s may end up being traded. Greece and Egypt recently signed a €5 billion plan to lay 1,000 km of undersea cables: as an alternative to Russian natural gas, they will transport cheap energy from North Africa to Europe. Speaking with Mitsotakis about both the cables and the monastery, Al-Sisi did not promise that the tourist development plans for Sinai would be revised. ‘That is where the energy we give you comes from; that is where our future lies.’ So what if a little history is sold in exchange…
The Muslim agreement and perseverance of Saint Catherine’s monastery
During the 7th century AD, the new faith of Islam had emerged in the Arabian Peninsula. The Arab conquest eventually brought an end to Christianity in the Sinai Peninsula. In addition, by the early 9th century AD, the number of monks in the monastery is said to have been reduced to 30. Nevertheless, the monastery persevered.
According to tradition, the monks at St. Catherine’s Monastery had requested the protection of the Prophet Muhammad himself. The Prophet, who is said to have regarded Christians as brothers in faith, accepted their request favorably.
A controversial document, known as the Actiname (‘Holy Testament’) was signed by the Prophet himself in 623 AD. According to this document, the monks of St. Catherine’s Monastery were granted exemption from taxes and military service. Additionally, Muslims were called upon to protect the monastery and provide the monks with every help. As a gesture of reciprocity, during the Fatimid period, the monks allowed the conversion of a crusader church within the monastery walls into a mosque
