Bored with the usual dull celebration of Jesus' Birth?

[Mister Bushice]

Go to where it all started, and have a brawl:

Priests brawl at Bethlehem birthplace of Jesus

Thu Dec 27, 8:34 AM ET

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AFP) - Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.


Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.

But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed.

For a quarter of an hour bearded and robed priests laid into each other with fists, brooms and iron rods while the photographers who had come to take pictures of the annual cleaning ceremony recorded the whole event.

A dozen unarmed Palestinian policemen were sent to try to separate the priests, but two of them were also injured in the unholy melee.

"As usual the cleaning of the church afer Christmas is a cause of problems," Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh told AFP, adding that he has offered to help ease tensions.

"For the two years that I have been here everything went more or less calmly," he said. "It's all finished now."

The Church of the Nativity, like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City, is shared by various branches of Christianity, each of which controls and jealously guards a part of the holy site.

The Church of the Nativity is built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was born in a stable more than 2,000 years ago after Mary and Joseph were turned away by an inn.

bunch of fucking hypocrites.

[smackaholic]

I been to that place. Unfortunately I didn't get to see no clergy gang wars.

I hope to hell there will be some video on youtube.

I'll mosey over there and see if I can find something.

[Smackie Chan]

But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed.

This is a tough call. The Palestinian line judge should've initially thrown a flag and penalized the Greeks five yards. But depending on who initiated the unsportsmanlike conduct after the whistle blew, there could be offsetting penalties, or the Greeks could be backed up another 15 yards. There may have to be a review of what the photographers produced.

[PSUFAN]

"It was time for a change," said the spokesman

Well, I'm awful glad they're concerned with making changes for the better wherever possible. There's a century and a half backlog of things next on the list, right after they attend to this important matter.

[Adelpiero]

i had my money on father o'malley

Who won? And was an 8 year old boy the prize?

[smackaholic]

dammit, didn't you read? The RCs had a by this week, but next week they have a tough road game against their divisional rival episcopals. The catholics are a 4 1/2 point favorite.

[Rich Fader]

I'm pretty sure that intersectarian fights between priests make Baby Jesus cry.