Archimandrite Symeon Papadopoulos has been elected the new Abbot and Archbishop of the historic Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai, a move aimed at ending a period of intense internal turmoil.
The election by members of the Sinai Brotherhood on Sunday was nearly unanimous, with Papadopoulos receiving 19 of 20 votes.
His own ballot was left blank in accordance with monastic tradition.
The decisive result is seen as a step toward restoring unity following a crisis that led to the ousting of his predecessor, Archbishop Damianos, by the Jerusalem Patriarchate last week.
The election of a new abbot is also a key step in a sensitive diplomatic issue between Greece and Egypt.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently stated that a pending agreement between the two countries to ensure the Greek Orthodox character of the monastery requires the signature of the new leader.
Relations had been strained after an Egyptian court ruled last May that the 6th-century monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, sits on state land and does not own it outright.