The monks were tidying up the church ahead of Orthodox Christmas celebrations in early January, following celebrations by Western Christians on Dec. 25. The fight erupted between monks along the border of their respective areas. Some shouted and hurled brooms.
But, look, an embarrassing lapse of judgement in the moment, perhaps. But this is the real travesty:
Those disagreements threaten the integrity of the church itself, which was originally built 1,500 years ago and parts of which have fallen into disrepair. Although the roof has needed urgent work for decades, and leaking rainwater has ruined much of the priceless artwork inside, a renovation has been delayed all these years by disagreements among the denominations over who would pay.
Only recently, the Palestinian Authority brokered an agreement to move ahead with replacing the roof, and officials hope work will begin in 2012.
That’s right, those Palestinians trying to ruin Israel (as we so often deride them) had to step in to calm down that Christians at baby Jesus’ birthplace. Shame.
Wow! I hadn’t heard about this! It looks like it was actually the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which is in the Palestian territory, (the Holy Sepulchre is the traditional site of his burial and is in Jerusalem) but undeniably pathetic that it’s turning into a source of as much animosity as the Holy Sepulchre. I can’t believe that one Christian denomination (c’mon Catholic Church! here’s an opportunity for some good press, finally!) didn’t step up and save the day, if only to show themselves the superior Christians
I would imagine that the Palestinian Authority sees the tourist draw that stands to be lost if the church is ruined and decided it was worth the effort to step in. And of course Muslims have a great love and respect for Jesus.