Archbishop Damianos of Sinai has called for the intervention of the Egyptian police to remove the coup plotting monks who were expelled yesterday from the Sinai Monastery but remain outside the gate and are trying to return. The situation remains complex and difficult.
Archbishop Sinai, according to his associates, is inside the monastery, while the rebel monks are trying to break in while making threats against his life and legal action against him.
Egyptian police, who have not been answering calls in recent hours, are near the monastery but have not yet intervened to prevent the movement of the rebels. The same sources report that there have been calls from the authorities to allow the rebels back into the monastery.
It is recalled that the monks who had turned against Damianos have been outside the monastery since yesterday afternoon.
The archbishop himself went to the monastery yesterday, where he once again faced intransigence from the coup plotters.
The remaining monks managed to remove them, but the unrest continues.
All this comes after weeks of tension. Sinai Archbishop Damianos arrived a few days ago and was again faced with resistance from the monks who had previously demanded his removal as abbot. According to the archbishop, he sought dialogue with the group of dissident monks in an attempt to resolve the crisis. Instead, they called an unauthorized meeting with the aim of changing the rules of the monastery without his participation – even though the statutes require the archbishop to preside over such procedures.
In a statement, Damianos described what followed:
“The rebellious monks attacked and insulted me, just as they had done during my last visit. The monks who did not participate in the coup defended me and the monastery with self-sacrifice, expelling the illegal rebels from the monastery walls.”
Close associates of the archbishop reported that after the dissidents were expelled, the gates of the monastery were closed to prevent their return. A general assembly of the remaining monks was immediately convened. The rebels, who had already been subjected to the punishment of excommunication imposed by Damianos, were excluded from participation. The assembly proceeded to elect a new Synaxis (council of monks), consisting of Archimandrite Porphyry, Hieromonk Akakios, and Monk Ephraim.
In its official statement, the monastery expressed gratitude and remorse:
“We owe gratitude to the patroness and guardian of the monastery, the great martyr Saint Catherine, who protected the monastery from the wiles of the devil. We also owe a great apology to the Church, because the pettiness and ambition of some have become a cause for scandal among the faithful. Instead of being a light to the world, as monks should be, we have acted otherwise. With humility and contrition, we ask for forgiveness.”
Eleven monks who had signed the decision to remove Damianos have already been expelled from Sinai. All of them were excommunicated by the archbishop. Sources familiar with the matter note that the dissidents seemed confident that their punishments were not severe, believing that the abbot had been removed. Damianos, however, imposed the sanctions in his capacity as archbishop of Sinai, a position that the rebels could not dispute.
Athens, the reports confirm, has been fully informed of the developments and continues to monitor the situation closely. Analysts suggest that the decision in St. Catherine creates a more favorable atmosphere for reaching an agreement with the Egyptian authorities on the status of the monastery.
Illustrative Photo by Rana Obaid: https://www.pexels.com/photo/deserted-field-841343/
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First published in this link of The European Times.