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USA Today
Dec 28 2011
Clerics clash in Bethlehem brawl at Jesus' birthplace
By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY
Up to 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests and monks
swinging brooms clashed inside the Church of Nativity today in
Bethlehem in a frenzied turf battle, the Associated Press reports.
Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics share the
administration of the church, whick oftens leads to jurisdictional
disputes.
The fighting broke out during cleaning of the West Bank church in
preparation for Orthodox Christmas celebrations in early January, as
each side jealously guards its territory.
Palestinian police, using batons and shields, were called in to break
up the fighting inside the basilica.
"It was a trivial problem that ... occurs every year," police
Lieutenant-Colonel Khaled al-Tamimi tells Reuters. "Everything is all
right and things have returned to normal.
He tells the news agency that there were no arrests "because all those
involved were men of God."
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/12/clerics-clash-in-bethlehem-brawl-at-jesus-birthplace/1
Dec 28 2011
Clerics clash in Bethlehem brawl at Jesus' birthplace
By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY
Up to 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests and monks
swinging brooms clashed inside the Church of Nativity today in
Bethlehem in a frenzied turf battle, the Associated Press reports.
Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics share the
administration of the church, whick oftens leads to jurisdictional
disputes.
The fighting broke out during cleaning of the West Bank church in
preparation for Orthodox Christmas celebrations in early January, as
each side jealously guards its territory.
Palestinian police, using batons and shields, were called in to break
up the fighting inside the basilica.
"It was a trivial problem that ... occurs every year," police
Lieutenant-Colonel Khaled al-Tamimi tells Reuters. "Everything is all
right and things have returned to normal.
He tells the news agency that there were no arrests "because all those
involved were men of God."
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/12/clerics-clash-in-bethlehem-brawl-at-jesus-birthplace/1