The monks at St. Catherine’s Monastery, a 1,600-year-old Greek Orthodox site in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, closed the doors of visitors in protest after Egypt’s court ruled that the monastery’s land belonged to the government. St. Catherine’s Face Uncertainty is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s oldest Christian monastery, as the ruler’s property ownership deprived monks of uncertainty, prompting fears of expulsion or transformation into museums. The decision sparked the anger of Christian leaders around the world, with Greek Orthodox churches and Greek foreign ministers holding diplomatic talks with Egypt to protect the status of the monastery. Egyptian officials, including President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, insisted that the ruling retained the spiritual value of the monastery and secured access to monks, but the monks led by Archbishop Damianos I, 91, called it de facto deported. Greek and Egyptian officials later announced that the website was safe, but did not provide further details.
Brickbat Post: Religious freedom first appeared on Reason.com.
