Abbot of Sinai Monastery: Monks' letter to Patriarch Theophilos is a coup

Archbishop Damianos. Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr

The abbot of the Sinai Monastery, Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, stated that the letter from the monks of the monastery, in which they demand the intervention of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem in the situation around the monastery, is a conspiracy.

The Archbishop publicly condemned the events and, in turn, informed Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem about the incident in an official letter.

Media reports note that the General Assembly of the Brotherhood is convened either by the Archbishop of Sinai or by a written request to the Archbishop by 2/3 of its members.

The President of the General Assembly is either the Archbishop or his legal substitute, who is the Right Honorary Monk of the Monastery, both of whom are in Greece on the occasion of the bill being voted on today in the Plenary Session of the Parliament, but also the meeting that will take place next Wednesday, August 6, 2025, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Badr Abdelatti.

According to media information, the assembly held by the monks was not convened legally, as it was not led by either the Archbishop or the dikaios. It is also emphasized that the initiators of the assembly did not have the necessary two-thirds of the brotherhood.

According to the official list, the monastery has 25 monks, and two-thirds is 17. However, the appeal to Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem bears the signatures of only 15 monks. Moreover, one of the signatories, Hieromonk Pamphylos, has not been a member of the brotherhood since 2017, as he was officially transferred to the Great Lavra Monastery on Mount Athos. Thus, his signature is considered invalid.

"Therefore, they do not have the 2/3 and everything they have done is illegal. At the same time, they are threatening all the other monks," stated monastery circles. "Moreover, they are threatening the other monks."

In his statement today, Archbishop Damianos emphasizes that  "they were moved, they deliberated, they studied tradition" with the aim not of observing but of conspiring to violate the Divine and Sacred Canons and the Fundamental Regulations of the Holy Monastery of Sinai.

The Archbishop also stated: "Their uncanonical actions scandalize the faithful people of God, undermine the unity of the Brotherhood, lead the Monastery into 'Babylonian captivity' and, above all, offer the best service to those who wish that the Golgotha of the Holy Monastery should NOT end."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the monks of the Sinai Monastery are asking Patriarch Theophilos to dismiss the abbot.

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