NEW YORK, NY – GNUSA
The East Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance [EMBCA] presents “St. Catherine Monastery in Sinai: History, Legacy, and Present Challenges” Webinar Panel Discussion on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 2 P.M. EST / 9 P.M. Athens EEST.
Once again, the discussion will be introduced and moderated by Lou Katsos, EMBCA’s President, with distinguished panelists including Prof. Dr. Johannes Niehoff-Panagiotidis (Freie Universität Berlin), Prof. Dr. Dieter Vieweger (DEI Jerusalem & Amman), and Jurist Dr. Anastasios Nikopoulos (Freie Universität Berlin).
Link for the live event:
At the foot of Mount Sinai, where tradition holds Moses encountered the Burning Bush, stands St. Catherine’s Monastery—founded in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian I and the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world. Both fortress and sanctuary, it became linked to St. Catherine of Alexandria and grew into a renowned center of pilgrimage, scholarship, and art. Its library, second only to the Vatican in importance, preserves priceless manuscripts and the celebrated Codex Sinaiticus, while its icons rank among the greatest treasures of Byzantine art.
For centuries, the monastery has symbolized coexistence, with traditions of protection extending back to a firman attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and ties to local Bedouin communities who still see themselves as its guardians. Today, however, St. Catherine’s faces pressing challenges: security issues in the Sinai, jurisdictional disputes between Church and state, and increasing Egyptian government control over its administration and heritage. UNESCO World Heritage status, while affirming its universal value, has also complicated questions of autonomy.
Despite these pressures, the monastery endures, its monks continuing the rhythm of prayer that has echoed in Sinai for fifteen centuries. For Orthodox faithful worldwide it remains a touchstone of continuity, not only relic but living witness.
“The panel will explore these themes—heritage, coexistence, autonomy, and resilience asking how St. Catherine’s can preserve its sacred character while engaging with modern political and legal realities”, notes Lou Katsos.
