New Archbishop Elected at St. Catherine's Monastery, Ending Leadership Crisis

Archimandrite Symeon Papadopoulos has been elected the caller Abbot and Archbishop of the historical Monastery of St. Catherine successful Sinai, a determination aimed astatine ending a play of aggravated interior turmoil.

The predetermination by members of the Sinai Brotherhood connected Sunday was astir unanimous, with Papadopoulos receiving 19 of 20 votes. 

His ain ballot was near blank successful accordance with monastic tradition. 

The decisive effect is seen arsenic a measurement toward restoring unity pursuing a situation that led to the ousting of his predecessor, Archbishop Damianos, by the Jerusalem Patriarchate past week.

The predetermination of a caller abbot is besides a cardinal measurement successful a delicate diplomatic contented betwixt Greece and Egypt. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis precocious stated that a pending statement betwixt the 2 countries to guarantee the Greek Orthodox quality of the monastery requires the signature of the caller leader.

Relations had been strained aft an Egyptian tribunal ruled past May that the 6th-century monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, sits connected authorities onshore and does not ain it outright.