The Sinai Brotherhood has elected Archimandrite Simaon Papadopoulos as the new abbot of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, ending weeks of speculation over the leadership vacuum left by the resignation of Archbishop Damianós. Papadopoulos won 19 of 20 ballots cast by the General Assembly on Sunday. In line with tradition, he left his own vote blank.
The election brings closure to a tense chapter in the monastery’s history. Damianós, who served for more than five decades as both Archbishop of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho and as abbot of the monastery, stepped down amid bitter clashes with a faction of monks who challenged his authority. He had publicly denounced his critics as “conspirators staging a coup.”
Yet on Sunday, both his supporters and opponents rallied behind Papadopoulos, a figure described by Greek outlet iefimerida as a moderate, cooperative cleric well-regarded in Athens. Analysts noted that the consensus reflected a vote for unity, an effort to heal divisions before confronting the monastery’s looming challenges—particularly legal disputes over its property rights.
Recognition from Cairo
With the monks united, the next hurdle lies outside the monastery walls. Egypt must now recognize Papadopoulos as abbot and grant him Egyptian citizenship, a prerequisite for representing the monastery in dealings with the state. This recognition is crucial to finalize a long-anticipated agreement between Egypt and Greece safeguarding the monastery’s Greek Orthodox identity and securing its property.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said the two governments are close to finalizing the accord, stressing that it would require the new abbot’s signature to take effect. He credited Damianós with helping ease tensions in earlier stages of the dispute.
Diplomatic and legal pressures
Greek daily Kathimerini observed that the monastery’s internal rift inadvertently bought time for Egyptian authorities, delaying the property agreement. Because Damianós was the only monk with Egyptian citizenship, his resignation left the talks in limbo. Papadopoulos must now obtain citizenship before the deal can move forward, a process that could reshape its final terms.
Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou confirmed that Cairo and Athens are working to conclude an accord that will secure the sanctity and Orthodox character of Saint Catherine’s.
Church, state, and contested lands
The monastery’s troubles extend well beyond succession politics. In May, an appeals court in Ismailia ruled that the land belongs to the Egyptian state, with monks retaining only usufruct rights. The decision raised fears of creeping state encroachment on monastic property, particularly as Egypt accelerates development projects to expand religious tourism in Sinai.
The monastery, under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, has long been a touchstone of Hellenic and Orthodox identity. Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens condemned the ruling, warning that “the monastery’s properties are being confiscated.”
He warned that this historic spiritual beacon faces an existential threat. Damianós himself denounced the verdict as “a painful blow…a disgrace.” His handling of the fallout, according to the BBC, deepened divisions among the monks and hastened his resignation.
Assurances from the presidency
Amid the uproar, Egypt’s presidency issued a statement affirming its “full commitment to preserving the unique religious and sacred status of Saint Catherine’s Monastery.” The government framed the court’s ruling as a legal clarification rather than an erosion of rights, casting the monastery’s position as exceptional within Egypt’s broader legal framework.
For now, Papadopoulos inherits not only the mantle of leadership but also the burden of navigating fraught relations with the Egyptian state, fragile unity among the monks, and the task of safeguarding one of Christianity’s oldest and most revered monasteries.
