Scenes of chaos as the church brawl breaks out
Israeli police have had to restore order at one of Christianity's holiest sites after a mass brawl broke out between monks in Jerusalem's Old City.And here's the "explanation" from the religious on the scene:
Fighting erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion.
Two monks from each side were detained as dozens of worshipers traded kicks and punches at the shrine, said police.
Trouble flared as Armenians prepared to mark the annual Feast of the Cross.
Shocked pilgrims looked on as decorations and tapestries were toppled during Sunday's clash.
Dressed in the vestments of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations, rival monks threw punches and anything they could lay their hands on.
The Greeks blamed the Armenians for not recognizing their rights inside the holy site, while the Armenians said the Greeks had violated one of their traditional ceremonies.
The Armenians had been preparing to commemorate the 4th Century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus.
...
Complete report - from the BBC News
-ConcordPastor
Have you ever been to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?
ReplyDeleteWith its twists and turns, its separate areas for different denominations and so forth, it just has always struck me as a metaphor for church.
We are growing in unity - or meant to anyway, and on days like this one, clearly the opposite has happened.
Pax,
Fran
My mind immediately goes to Galatians 3:28 and the reminder that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
God have mercy on us all.
My take on that woeful event:
ReplyDeletehttp://meredithgould.blogspot.com/2008/11/brawling-monks.html
As my pre-school students might say, "I think this would make Jesus very sad."
ReplyDeleteAustin,
ReplyDeleteyour post pictures are all white = no pictures.
Anyone else having a problem viewing my graphics?
ReplyDeleteConcord Pastor,
ReplyDeleteTechnically speaking, the images come through and are viewable. What they show, however, is so far from my comprehension that I am indeed "having a problem" viewing them. How awful!
I lived on the outskirts of Jerusalem for several months in 1981. (Oh how young I was then!) The time I was there included Easter. Israeli police had to step in between the various groups in the Sepulchre then as well. It is a longstanding problem, not at all new, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI was in this amazing church earlier this year. The conflict between the shared "caretakers" of the church are legendary. The guides "joke" about how no one can touch a thing without it infringing on one of the other groups. There is a famous ladder on the outside, on the second story of the facade. It has been there for decades for no reason other than no one can agree who is responsible for it and no one wants to start a battle by "claiming" it.
ReplyDeleteA couple weeks before my visit a similar brawl was started by one denomination "violating the agreements" by cleaning bricks on the floor that were not assigned to them.
This kind of craziness gives us a tiny glimpse into the mentality that allowed so many people to die in wars started in the name of Christ. If this is possible from monks and those dedicated to Christ, imagine how easy it would be for corrupt kings to pervert Christ's teachings for their own benefit.
I wasn't aware of the history of this, but it does indeed make me sad. No wonder peace in the Middle East is so difficult to attain, if this is any indication of the mindset of those residents.
ReplyDelete