BOSTON. With the intervention of the Greek government, Archbishop and Abbot Damianos of the Monastery of Sinai was transferred to Athens, in a preventive move to avoid worse developments. According to information obtained by The National Herald, there was the possibility that he would be arrested by the Egyptian police, as had already happened to an official of the Ambetios School in Cairo, who is accused of orchestrating the dispatch of thugs to the Monastery to expel the monks.
According to the Athens News Agency (ANA-MPA), “At 7:15 a.m. on Friday, September 5, a special Aegean Airlines flight from Sharm El Sheikh landed at Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos,’ carrying a Greek delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, George Kalantzis.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the delegation had traveled the previous day to the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai for the safe escort of Archbishop Damianos and Greek citizens who were at the Monastery, including nine monks who wished to return to Athens.
The Ministry’s statement emphasized that the Monastery, under the authority of the Holy Sinai Brotherhood, continues to function normally and remains open to visitors. It added:
“In the coming days, procedures will be set in motion for the succession of Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, in accordance with his publicly expressed will and in line with the Fundamental Regulations of the Holy Monastery.”
Meanwhile, the situation has become even more complicated with the new communiqué issued by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem on Saturday, September 6, 2025, regarding the lengthy announcement that Archbishop Damianos of Sinai had made public the previous week. The Patriarchate even expressed doubt as to whether it was truly authored by him.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem has chosen to “ignore” the statement attributed to the departing Archbishop Damianos of Sinai in order to avoid “canonical sanctions.”
In its latest communiqué, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem refers to “an unseemly and anti-ecclesiastical spirit, filled with offensive and false claims that sow division among the Romiosyne.”
It should be noted that Archbishop Damianos has been ordered to appear before the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, scheduled to convene on Monday, September 8, 2025. However, it appears increasingly unlikely that Archbishop Damianos will comply with the Synod’s summons. The Synod has also called upon the Sinai Brotherhood to proceed with the election of a new abbot, who is to travel to Jerusalem to be consecrated as bishop in accordance with the established traditions of the Monastery and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Below is the full text of the communiqué issued by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem:
“Concerning the lengthy announcement attributed to the departed from the Monastery, Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, beloved brother in Christ and bishop canonically subject to the Ancient Patriarchate of Jerusalem, it has been decided that its contents be disregarded, so that corresponding canonical sanctions may temporarily be avoided.
The unseemly and anti-ecclesiastical spirit of that announcement, containing offensive and false claims divisive to the Romiosyne, is confirmed by many testimonies which certify beyond doubt that it does not originate from the pen of the departed Archbishop.
Moreover, it is noted that the said Archbishop, by actions inconsistent with his personal journey, admitted into the Monastery suspicious persons, who committed acts of violence, expelled venerable members of the Sinai Brotherhood, and kept the Holy Monastery closed for a long period. This caused grave concern regarding the sacred relics and the historical treasures of its Archive.
The venerable Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, honoring the history and long-standing contribution of the departed Archbishop and acknowledging his human weakness, prays for his health, enlightenment, and repentance. It also received with joy the information from the Greek Government about his peaceful and dignified departure, befitting his age.
The Ancient Patriarchate, bearing canonical and spiritual responsibility over the Archdiocese of Sinai, though without any desire for administrative involvement in the affairs of the Monastery, contributed through mediation, exhortation, and paternal counsel to the easing of the crisis. Priority remains the return to canonical order and the restoration of normal functioning of the Holy Monastery.
The Patriarchate calls upon the Fathers of Sinai to proceed smoothly with the processes of electing a successor, as prescribed by the Fundamental Regulations, so that it may welcome the newly chosen abbot of the Monastery and consecrate him at the All-Holy and Life-Giving Tomb of the Risen Lord, as a true son of the Church of Zion.”