The government is interested in maintaining the Greek Orthodox and pilgrimage nature of the St Catherine monastery at Mt Sinai, government spokersperson Pavlos Marinakis told national broadcaster ERT and journalists Dimitris Kottaridis and Nina Kassimati on Saturday.
In an interview for the show 'Savvatokyriako apo tis 5', Marinakis said, "We are interested in maintaining the Greek Orthodox and pilgrimage nature of the holy monastery of St. Catherine of Sinai, it is something we want resolved in an institutional way between the two countries," he said, speaking of reports that the Egyptian government plans to change its status.
"This has been agreed between the two leaders since May 7, and we have every reason to believe in good faith and ahead of the next few days that this will be concluded following the final talks between the two sides; a delegation is going to Egypt on Monday. This monastery is one of the most emblematic Greek Orthodox monasteries in the entire world, and it is something that resonates with every Greek," he added.
Marinakis criticized all Greek opposition parties for rushing to aforegone conclusions before the situation is officially determined. The government has been standing by the people there for over a year now, he added.
The monastery is included on UNESCO's World Heritage List, which cites the following on its site: "The entire area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The Monastery, founded in the 6th century, is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its initial function. Its walls and buildings of great significance to studies of Byzantine architecture and the Monastery houses outstanding collections of early Christian manuscripts and icons. The rugged mountainous landscape, containing numerous archaeological and religious sites and monuments, forms a perfect backdrop to the Monastery."