BOC Primate expresses support for Sinai Monastery brotherhood

Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria. Photo: bg-patriarshia.bg

The Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniel, has sent a letter of support to Archbishop Damian of Sinai and the brotherhood of the Monastery of Saint Catherine the Great Martyr on Mount Sinai in Egypt. The letter, published on the official website of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, emphasizes that the Patriarch is following the situation surrounding the monastery “with deep concern and heartfelt solidarity,” particularly in light of a recent decision by an Egyptian court.

In his message, Patriarch Daniel noted that the Sinai Monastery, with its 1,500-year history, is “a sacred site of immense historical and inestimable significance for the entire Orthodox Church.”

The Patriarch underscored the special spiritual and cultural ties that connect the Bulgarian people with this ancient monastery, which preserves dozens of unique Old Bulgarian manuscripts. For centuries, pilgrims from Bulgaria have venerated the monastery as a site of deep reverence.

“The holy monastery is a place of spiritual struggle for its monastic brotherhood and must not be regarded as a museum owned by the state,” declared the Bulgarian Patriarch. He emphasized that ownership of the monastery and all its property belongs solely to the monastic brotherhood, in accordance with sacred canons, ancient imperial legislation, and the principles of modern democratic legal order.

“The monastic brotherhood is the sole steward of the holy monastery’s property. It is their home, a place of repentance, and of lifelong service,” he said.

In conclusion, Patriarch Daniel called for prayers to protect the monastery and its brethren: “We fervently beseech our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy Great Martyr Catherine, and all the saints of Sinai, to preserve His holy monastery from the snares of the evil one and to protect its monastic brotherhood!”

As the UOJ previously reported, a Greek delegation had arrived in Cairo to discuss the issue surrounding the Sinai monastery.

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