Archbishop Damianos of Sinai arrived in Athens on Saturday morning, accompanied by a Greek government delegation that had traveled to Saint Catherine’s Monastery to ensure his safe return.
The delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou and Giorgos Kalantzis, Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, landed at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” at 7:15 a.m. on a special Aegean flight from Sharm El Sheikh.
The mission had visited the Sinai Monastery on Friday in order to accompany the Archbishop back to Greece, as well as other Greek citizens present there, including nine monks who expressed their desire to return to Athens.
It should be recalled that in recent weeks there had been an exchange of strongly worded statements between Archbishop Damianos of Sinai and Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem. In his latest letter, Archbishop Damianos effectively paved the way for the process of succession.
“The Holy Monastery, under the authority of the Sinai Brotherhood, continues to operate normally and remains open to visitors,” the Foreign Ministry’s statement noted, adding that in the coming days procedures will be initiated for the succession of Archbishop Damianos, in line with his publicly expressed will and the Fundamental Regulations of the Monastery.
