USA Today
Dec 27 2007

Priests come to blows inside Church of the Nativity

Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests had a rumble today inside
Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, in a dispute over how to clean
the church after Christmas celebrations.

AFP says the priests came to blows — and in some cases even attacked
each other with broomsticks and iron rods — after the Greeks
allegedly started cleaning a part of the church controlled by the
Armenians. The church, built on the site where Christians believe
Jesus was born, is shared by various branches of Christianity — each
of which controls a slice of the building.

Palestinian police had to be called in to break up the battle, and
two of them were among the seven people reportedly hurt.

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