site.btaBulgarian Church Expresses Solidarity with Saint Catherine's Monastery amid Egyptian Court Ruling

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued a statement of support for the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai, following a controversial ruling by an Egyptian court that raised concerns over the status and ownership of the historic monastic site.  “With particular concern and heartfelt sympathy, we have been following the events of recent days in connection with the recent ruling of the Egyptian court,”  reads a statement by Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil put out Wednesday.

He says further: "With its uninterrupted monastic tradition spanning over 1,500 years, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine the Great Martyr at Sinai is a sacred site of immense historical weight and of inestimable importance for the entirety of the Orthodox Church." 

The Bulgarian Church highlighted its deep and historic ties with the monastery, noting that it houses several dozen rare Old Bulgarian manuscripts. “Over the centuries, the Monastery of Saint Catherine has been a cherished place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians from Bulgaria,” the statement emphasized.

The Patriarch expressed “warm, brotherly, and prayerful support” for the monastic brotherhood during this period of uncertainty. It urged that the monastery not be reduced to a museum or subjected to secular oversight.

“The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine is a place of spiritual struggle and devotion for its monks and must in no way be regarded as a museum or state property,” the statement declared.

It also says: "We unequivocally affirm our unwavering support for the right of ownership of the Monastery over all immovable and movable property, which has always belonged and continues to belong exclusively to its monastic brotherhood. The inviolability of ecclesiastical property - and, in particular, of monastic property - is a fundamental principle that proceeds from the sacred canons of the Church, is enshrined in ancient imperial law, and is safeguarded by modern democratic legal systems. The monastic brotherhood is the sole steward of the property of the Holy Monastery."