SINAI, Egypt | Archbishop Damianos of Sinai announced on Tuesday that he has expelled a group of rebellious monks from Saint Catherine’s Monastery, reclaiming control of one of Christianity’s most historic sites after what he described as a “coup attempt.”
In a statement, Damianos said he had traveled to the monastery “with the purpose of reconciliation and dialogue with the small group of coup-prone monks.” According to his account, the group had convened an unauthorized assembly aimed at altering the monastery’s regulations without his approval.
“When I entered, they attacked and insulted me, as they had done during my previous visit,” he said. Supportive monks, he added, “defended my person and the Monastery with self-sacrifice, pushing the unlawful conspirators outside the monastery walls.”
Following the expulsion, Damianos convened a new General Assembly, which elected a fresh leadership for the community: Hieromonk Porphyrios Kanavakis as Dikaios (abbot), Hieromonk Akakios Spanos as treasurer, and Monk Ephraim Provatas as steward. “The Monastery has returned to legality and canonical order,” Damianos declared.
In his statement, the archbishop expressed gratitude to Saint Catherine, the monastery’s heavenly patron, for “protecting her monastery from the schemes of the devil.” He also issued an apology to the faithful for the scandal caused by internal disputes: “As monks we should be a light to the world, but through this turmoil we did the opposite. With humility and contrition, we beg forgiveness.”
