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Monks Fight On Roof Of Holiest Place
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7-30-2002 | Alan Philips

Posted on 07/30/2002 2:40:34 PM PDT by blam

Monks fight on roof of holiest place

By Alan Philps in Jerusalem
(Filed: 30/07/2002)

Eleven monks were treated in hospital after a fight broke out for control of the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the traditional site of Jesus's crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

An Ethiopian monk nurses his bruises after the clash The fracas involved monks from the Ethiopian Orthodox church and the Coptic church of Egypt, who have been vying for control of the rooftop for centuries.

It is not the first time monks have come to blows at Christendom's most holy place, but it is one of the most serious in recent times.

As black-clad monks threw stones and iron bars at each other, the Israeli police were called to restore order. Seven Ethiopian monks and four Egyptians were hurt and one of the Ethiopians was reported to be unconscious in hospital.

The fight erupted over the position of a chair used by an Egyptian monk near the entrance to the roof.

He sits there to assert the Copts' claim to the rooftop, which is mainly occupied by a few African-style huts which the Ethiopians, who have been evicted from the main church over the centuries, use as their monastery.

On a hot day, the Egyptian monk decided to move his chair out of the sun. This was seen by the Ethiopians as violating the "status quo" in the church, set out in a 1757 document which defines the ownership of every chapel, lamp and flagstone.

After several days of rising tension, the fists began to fly on Sunday. The Egyptians said their monk was teased and poked and, in a final insult, pinched by a woman.

Yesterday there was a silent stand-off on the roof, with the Ethiopians defending their property with a row of chairs.

The church is a cockpit of rivalry between Christian sects and, in the words of one historian, the "most unchristian place in the world". It is shared among six denominations, with the more powerful ones taking ruthless advantage of any weakness by their rivals.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fight; holiest; monks; place; roof
Hmmmmm (Weird place)
1 posted on 07/30/2002 2:40:34 PM PDT by blam
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To: blam
Sounds like a Woody Allen script.
2 posted on 07/30/2002 2:52:10 PM PDT by VoiceOfBruck
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To: blam
Why didn't these guys display a little of this energy when the filthy terrorists occupied and desecrated the place a while back?
3 posted on 07/30/2002 2:58:31 PM PDT by Bigg Red
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To: Bigg Red
Good question! Maybe it ain't as holy as they would like us to think it is. I am sure the Holiest of Holies left these holy places a long time ago; the bickering gets a little tiresome.
4 posted on 07/30/2002 3:04:32 PM PDT by yoe
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To: blam
Monk fight!
5 posted on 07/30/2002 3:06:21 PM PDT by dead
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To: blam

"NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

6 posted on 07/30/2002 3:10:39 PM PDT by mhking
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To: blam
Trappist Monks rumble in silence.
7 posted on 07/30/2002 3:11:05 PM PDT by Consort
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To: dead
The first rule of monk fight is: there is no monk fight...
8 posted on 07/30/2002 3:15:27 PM PDT by Madame de Winter
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To: blam
The church is a cockpit

LMAO! It sure is.

9 posted on 07/30/2002 3:18:56 PM PDT by PoisedWoman
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To: Bigg Red
"Why didn't these guys display a little of this energy when the filthy terrorists occupied and desecrated the place a while back?"

It was the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that was occupied by arafart's islamic hamas "crazies". To answer your more pertinant question, the hamas generally are well armed with AK 47's. The monks are not. When's the last time you took on an armed islamic psychopath bare knuckles.

10 posted on 07/30/2002 3:37:52 PM PDT by kimosabe31
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