| Euractiv senior editor Sarantis Michalopoulos was in Egypt this week to report on a dispute between Cairo and Athens over one of Christianity's most holy sites. Saint Catherine, EGYPT – At the foot of Mount Sinai, the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine stands as one of Christianity’s oldest active places of worship. Now, the monastery faces an existential threat after an Egyptian court ruled to confiscate its property – a move that has triggered a wave of concern from Athens to Brussels. The court decision, which stipulates that the monastery can continue its religious operations but no longer holds ownership of its land, has been described by Greek officials as a thinly veiled attempt to appropriate a sacred site under the pretext of state control. The ruling is believed to have originated from a case filed by individuals linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement established in Egypt in the 1920s that is known for advocating the integration of Islamic principles into government and that is often criticised for its hardline ideological views. Euractiv gained rare access to the monastery, where monks expressed deep anxiety over the future. “The monastery has survived empires and invasions," one monk said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We pray it survives this." Others posed a more haunting question: “Will we be guests in our own home?” | 
