Jerusalem, Apr. 21, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Israeli police were forced to intervene to break up a violent crash between rival clerics in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre on April 20 as the Orthodox world celebrated Palm Sunday.
Greek and Armenian Orthodox priests engaged in fisticuffs inside the basilica when the Armenian clerics charged that a Greek priest was loitering at the side of Christ's tomb, deliberately preventing them from approaching to pray. When order was restored, 2 Armenian Orthodox worshippers were in police custody.
Use of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is governed by an intricate set of rules that allow several different Christian denominations access to different parts of the church building, with common areas that are available for shared used on a carefully negotiated schedule. Conflicts between the different denominations are common. To prevent further violence, the keys to the church building are held by a local Muslim family, under the terms of an agreement that dates back to the Ottoman empire.