Egypt, Greece agree to protect status of Mount Sinai monastery, after court ruling

Greece and Egypt have agreed to safeguard the status of one of the world’s oldest sites of Christian worship, foreign ministers of both countries said late yesterday, after an Egyptian court ruling last week cast uncertainty over its future, Reuters reports. The St Catherine’s Monastery, at the foot of Egypt’s Mount Sinai, was founded in the 6th century and is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its original function, says UNESCO, which has listed the area as a World Heritage site. Revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, the monastery is at the site where by Biblical tradition Moses received the Ten Commandments. But last week, an Egyptian court ruling ordered Orthodox monks to vacate several plots of land that the […]