Priests in Punch-Up at Christianity’s Holiest Shrine

The Scotsman, UK
Sept 27 2004

“PA”

Rival priests got into a fight in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
Christianity’s holiest shrine in Jerusalem, after arguing over whether
a door in the basilica should be closed during a procession.

Dozens of people, including several Israeli police officers, were
hurt in the brawl at the shrine, built over the spot where tradition
says Jesus was crucified and buried.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmulik Ben-Ruby said four priests were
arrested.

Custody of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is shared by several
denominations that jealously guard territory and responsibilities under
a fragile deal hammered out over the last centuries. Any perceived
encroachment on one group’s turf can lead to vicious feuds, sometimes
lasting centuries.

Today’s fight broke out during a procession of hundreds of Greek
Orthodox worshippers commemorating the 4th century pilgrimage by
Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, to Jerusalem. Tradition says
that during the trip, Helena found the cross on which Jesus had
been crucified.

Church officials said that at one point, the procession passed a
Roman Catholic chapel, and priests from both sides started arguing
over whether the door to the chapel should be open or closed.

Club-wielding Israeli riot police broke up the fight, witnesses said.

After the brawl, the procession continued.

Greek Orthodox priests, dressed in black robes and donning elaborate
head-dresses, marched out of the church as bells rang loudly.
Carrying gold staves and roses, they marched through the church
courtyard and down a narrow stone alley as Greek Orthodox Christians
clapped and cheered.

In 2003, Israeli police threatened to limit the number of worshippers
allowed to attend an Easter ceremony if the denominations did not
agree on who would lead the ceremony. Police brokered a last-minute
deal and the ceremony passed peacefully.

But a year earlier, the Greek patriarch and Armenian clergyman
designated to enter the tomb exchanged blows after a spat over who
would be first to exit the chamber.