Religion is never far from the surface in politics, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, and now a dispute over a key monastery may jeopardize key political agreements in the area.

Much of the Christian world, especially Eastern Orthodoxy, erupted over reports that, pursuant to a May 28 court decision, the Egyptian government was going to annex the historic St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople along with the Orthodox Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Alexandria, the Churches of Greece and Cyprus, and the Greek Union of Theologians all voiced apprehension.

The following week, a Greek Government delegation (St. Catherine’s is Greek Orthodox) traveled to Egypt and there were talks between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Both governments stress that they are taking amicable steps to resolve the matter. The Egyptian President’s office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stress repeatedly that St. Catherine’s site and autonomy is not threatened. Egyptian President el-Sisi emphasized this during his visit to Greece in early May 2025.

However, these assurances, however well-intended, still leave the situation murky and subsequent ‘clarifications’ seem further to confuse matters.

St. Catherine’s may be the Christian world’s most significant monastery. It was founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the sixth century at the foot of Mt. Sinai, believed to be where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. A tree within its walls is held to be the burning bush. It has housed a multitude of historical and religious treasures, including rare manuscripts dating back to the fourth century, one of which is the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest complete copy of the New Testament.

That it has survived at all for a millennium-and-a-half in a remote area frequently traversed by marauding armies is itself something of a miracle. This is partly because, like many monasteries in rough neighborhoods, it is built as a fortress to repel bandits and invaders. Also, it is reported to have a covenant of protection granted by Islam’s Prophet Mohammad in 623 and reaffirmed by Ottoman Sultan Selim I in the 16th century.

The current dispute traces back to 2012, when wild ex-general Ahmed Ragai Attiya filed a court challenge against 71 of St. Catherine’s properties, alleging they were held illegally. On May 30, 2022, the South Sinai Elementary Court ruled to evict the monastery from 29 of these properties, dismissing the case against the rest. Both parties appealed the decision, and, on May 28, 2025, the regional Court of Appeal delivered an extremely complex verdict.

The monastery’s legal head, Christos Kompiliris, maintains that the ruling empowers the state to claim the monastery if the monks ever leave, making their continued presence contingent on unpredictable political or administrative decisions. He also states that the ruling permits the confiscation of 25 of the 71 properties belonging to the monastery. Member of Parliament Ehab Ramzy, the Monastery’s legal representative, interprets the ruling as dividing the area into four zones:

“Zone one includes the monastery itself and its religious sites. Monks retain full rights to worship and administer the area, but the court reaffirmed that the site is public property under Egyptian and international law.”

“Zone two comprises land acquired by the Church through contracts with local authorities.” The court accepts that these are monastery property.

“Zone three, however, proved more contentious. It consists of 21 parcels of land near the monastery that monks have cultivated for centuries but never formally registered under modern Egyptian law. Some are believed to be burial sites of canonized monks. Despite presenting historic documents—including Ottoman-era decrees—the monks’ claim to the land was rejected. The court labelled their presence “unlawful encroachment” and ordered them to vacate.”

“Zone four includes rugged terrain within a natural reserve. Here too, the court ruled against the monks, declaring the land state property.”

Hence, this complex decision states that certain lots are the property of the monastery but most are not. This truncates ownership of the surrounding fields on which the monastery relies for sustenance.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs avers that “the Monastery of Saint Catherine, its affiliated archaeological sites, its spiritual value, religious significance, and the monastery’s associated cemeteries aren’t infringed.” However, this is probably not the key issue, which concerns the historic gardens, chapels, water sources, olive groves, and other assets vital to the monastery.

This controversy has created tensions in Greek-Egyptian relations. Recently, these have been amicable and have led to important agreements over hydrocarbons and communication cables in the contested Eastern Mediterranean.

In 2020, the countries reached an agreement for an undersea cable to transmit power from North Africa to Europe, the first such infrastructure in the Mediterranean.

Earlier that year, over strenuous objections by Turkey, they also ratified an accord demarcating maritime boundaries for oil and gas drilling rights. Turkey maintains that this accord infringes on its continental shelf and the maritime zones that it had agreed to with Libya.

In turn, Greece maintained that Turkey’s own pact infringed on its continental shelf, specifically the island of Crete, and violated international law. A map sent to Reuters by the Egyptian foreign ministry demarcated the Greek and Egyptian maritime boundary in a way that appeared to leave no possibility of any link between Turkey and Libya.

Greece condemned “the illegal, void and legally unfounded memorandum of understanding that was signed between Turkey and Tripoli. Following the signing of this agreement, the non-existent Turkish-Libyan memorandum has ended up where it belonged from the beginning: in the trash can.”

The highlight of President el-Sisi’s May 7, 2025, official visit to Greece was the first meeting of the Egypt-Greece High-Level Cooperation Council, focused on strengthening bilateral relations in energy, trade, and economic cooperation. But in other settings, he also explicitly stressed St. Catherine’s inviolability.

He publicly reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to its “eternal and untouchable” agreement with the monastery. “The monastery holds the relics of a great saint. … I insisted on clarifying this point personally and I say it directly to dispel malicious rumors.”

President el-Sisi, like any president, will not want to be embarrassed by having his statements in Athens undercut. And, given Egypt’s and Greece’s extensive common interests, there is great pressure to resolve the matter amicably.

President el-Sisi, if he wants his words upheld and important Mediterranean agreements safeguarded, should generously ensure that not only St. Catherine’s monastery itself, but also its historical supporting fields, will be protected as its property, not merely as a right of use.

He has little to lose and much to gain.