In the American Congress they bring threats against historical Agia Catherine Monastery in Sinai Greek -born Republican MP of Florida Gus Bilirakis and the MEP and member of the US -EU delegation Nicolas Farantouris.
At a special event yesterday in Washington with the support of the Coptic Orthodox Solidarity organization at Rayburn Congressional Office Building, the threat of the ownership regime of the monastery by the Egyptian authorities, which relates to the plans of tourist exploitation of the Las Vegas.
The central point of the debate was Egypt’s nomination for UNESCO leadership in the forthcoming October elections and whether it can lead an organization for the protection of World Heritage Sites a country such as Egypt that undermines such a monument as the historical monastery.
MEP Nicolas Farantouris had raised the issue by letter to the UNESCO Executive Council on September 2, 2025, requesting, before any examination, to finally restore the monastery’s ownership status.
The letter Farantouri has been supported by international organizations and communities, such as Orthodox Christian Copts, etc.
Letter to Mark Rubio
In this context, the Greek descent American MP (Congressman) of Florida, Gus Bilirakisco -chairman of the parliamentary group for international religious freedom, coordinates a corresponding inter -party letter with signatures of other US MPs to the Foreign Minister Marco Rubioin which he calls on Cairo to respect the status of St. Catherine and to oppose the Egyptian nomination for UNESCO presidency as long as Egypt undermines the Monastery as a UNESCO World Heritage and Exceptional Value Monument.
American Interfaith Support
The briefing of Congress also included presentations by leaders of Assyrians, the Alawites, the Drunges and the Yazidi, who described the destruction of cultural heritage, religious freedoms and the rights of minorities in Egypt, Syria and Syria and Syria and Syria.
Marc Porter, a consultant of the monastery closely linked to US President D. Trump, also stressed the need for action to protect the monastery and handed over to American legislators and members of the Congress statement by the new abbot of the monastery, Archbishop Symeon.
Farantouri intervention in Congress
We joined our voices yesterday in 🇺🇸 Kogresso @USCongress To protect the IM #Sinai on her initiative @CopticS and invited personalities such as the new Archbishop Sinai Symeon, the @Repgussbilirkhis close associate @POTUSMark Porter et al. My intervention: pic.twitter.com/2KbiC82zMw
– Nikolas Farantouris / Nikolas Farantouris (@nfarantouris) October 1, 2025
In yesterday’s intervention via a conference conference from Copenhagen where he is at the EU Summit, Greek MEP Nicolas Farantouris expressed his opposition to the forthcoming UNESCO leadership from Egypt, until his resolved issue was resolved. In detail the intervention of Farantouri:
‘Colleagues and friends,
I am very pleased that today we are joining our efforts to protect one of the most important cultural and spiritual monuments of mankind: the Holy Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai. A month ago, I sent a letter to the UNESCO Executive Board in my capacity as a member of the European Parliament’s budget committee – with the EU being a key supporter and funder of the UN and UNESCO – at a time of extreme importance. In a few weeks, the Council will appoint the new General Manager. One of the candidates comes from Egypt.
But no candidacy can be examined in vacuum. It must be evaluated on the basis of the way every state faces the cultural and religious heritage that has been entrusted with history and international conditions – including Egypt. The Sinai Monastery is not only a place of Orthodox Christian worship, but also a worldwide symbol of interfaith respect and peaceful coexistence.
However, today this respectable institution is in danger. Since 2015, Egyptian authorities have challenged its ownership rights and property status. Doubtful judicial proceedings have been initiated and decisions have been issued, which – if implemented – will deprive the monastery of significant assets and, ultimately, its cells and its monastic life.
Colleagues and friends,
UNESCO leadership is not just a matter of prestige; it is primarily a moral responsibility. It requires every state and its representative to embody the principles of protection, inclusion and justice. I put these issues in a spirit of friendship and solidarity, and above all with faith in the ideals of UNESCO itself.
In this spirit, I call on our institutions on both sides of the Atlantic to carefully consider the broader consequences if the ownership rights and the status of the monastery have not been restored until the time of the election. We honor our mission, means that the monastery remains unaffected and its property rights will be intact and fully guaranteed. “
In his statements after the event, MEP Nicolas Farantouris emphasized “the importance of interfaith, inter -transactions and transatlantic support in the monastery, an ecumenical symbol of our Orthodox Christian worship and our world cultural heritage. We join forces. “
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