Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa has sent a heartfelt congratulatory message to Archimandrite Symeon, the newly elected Abbot of the historic Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai.
“With feelings of spiritual joy, profound respect, and fraternal love,” the Patriarch wrote, “I extend on behalf of the Second Throne Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church, and personally, warmest congratulations on your election as Abbot of the renowned Monastery of the Great Martyr Saint Catherine of Sinai.”
The Patriarch praised the peaceful and unanimous election by the Brotherhood of Sinai, noting that it testified not only to Symeon’s moral character, prudence, and spiritual formation, but also heralded a deep service of devotion, guided by “the heart that sees the invisible and hears the ineffable.”
“The Holy Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai,” he continued, “is not merely a monastic community, but a treasure of Orthodox tradition, a holy mountain where God was pleased to dwell. You are now called to carry not only the continuation of monastic life, but also the ecclesiastical ethos that Sinai has faithfully borne through the centuries.”
Recalling the historic and spiritual bond between the Patriarchate of Alexandria and Sinai, Patriarch Theodore emphasized that the election was a source of shared joy: “Our sacred communion of persons—our relationship face to face in truth—has been rooted for years in our fraternal ties, in our shared spiritual struggles, and in our Christ-centered exchanges of word, silence, and prayer.”
He also reflected on the contemporary challenges of confusion and unrest, underlining the role of Sinai as a spiritual desert, “the place where the mind is purified.” Quoting the vision of Moses beholding the glory of the Lord, he urged the new Abbot to stand as “a sober shepherd, a guardian of holy boundaries, a man of prayer, of authentic simplicity, and of inexhaustible humility.”
The Patriarch assured Abbot Symeon of the continued prayers and support of the Alexandrian Church: “The Church of Alexandria prays that the God of peace, who raised from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep, will strengthen your steps, always standing by you with word, with deed, with fraternal disposition, and with a missionary heart.”
He concluded his message with a blessing: “May the mercy of God be upon you, and may you be granted many years as a worthy Abbot.”
