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Thank Goodness they're all Christians
Holy Roof Monks Settle Shade Schism Swinging Rocks, Iron Bars and Chairs

July 30, 2002 - Jerusalem
By Yair Sheleg with Alan Philps and wire services

Iron bars and chairs were thrown during the row

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' crucifixion, burial and resurrection. 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.

Mounting tension between Ethiopian and Coptic priests, monks and nuns over the strict rules defining control over parts of the Holy Sepulchre's roof, yesterday broke out into an all-out fistfight as Coptic and Ethiopian priests argued that each side had violated the sensitive status quo governing the division of the roof between them.

The fight, which included stone throwing, ended with injuries for about a dozen of the priests from both sides who needed medical treatment.

The church is controlled by six different orders

"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."

The church, traditional scene of the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, has long been a source of disputes among various churches over who controls the various parts of it. A deal worked out in 1757 gave specific control to each church over specific parts of the church and violations -whether accidental or deliberate and sometimes over the most petty questions of who cleans where inside the ancient chambers of the church - can result in flare-ups of violence as occurred yesterday.

The specific dispute between the Copts and the Ethiopians is over the roof, and goes back to a 19th century epidemic that killed off the Ethiopians, who had control over the entire roof. That enabled the the Egyptian Copts to take over the roof, says Hagai Siton, the attorney for the Ethiopians. But the British Mandatory authorities resurrected the 1757 division, giving the roof and its buildings to the Ethiopians, but the small monastery on the roof to the Copts.

An Ethiopian monk nurses his bruises after the clash

According to the agreement, a Coptic priest sits guard at the entrance to the monastery, and he has a room inside the courtyard controlled by the Ethiopians. But a month ago the Coptic monk assigned to sit outside the monastery moved his chair to the shade of a tree inside the courtyard controlled by the Ethiopians. They demanded he move his chair back, and he refused, claiming he was ill and needed his rest.

The police, called to intercede, ruled the aging monk would be allowed to sit in the courtyard for 10 to 15 minutes a day, accompanied by a policeman, and then go back to his seat outside the courtyard, at the entrance. The Ethiopians objected and complained to the Public Security Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry.

Tension has mounted since the chair was originally moved, and yesterday's fistfight broke out when a Coptic monk complained that an Ethiopian nun tried to touch him. The Copts threw rocks at the Ethiopians, claiming the Ethiopians threw rocks back, but the Ethiopians deny it.

After the fracas, the Ethiopian ambassador to Israel arrived on the scene and said his government would take control of the matter and resolve it through diplomatic channels with the Egyptians, and not through the legal channels in Israel. In that case, Jerusalem is likely to come under pressure from Addis Ababa and Cairo as the two capitals apply pressure on the government to resolve the matter to their satisfaction.

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

Final score
Ethiopian Orthodox Christian monks	Coptic Christian Church of Egypt monks
7 injured, 1 still unconscious	4 injured
defending property with a row of chairs	1 aging monk allowed to sit in the courtyard for 10 to 15 minutes a day, accompanied by a policeman, then go back to his seat outside the courtyard
filed appeal with Public Security Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry

Sources:

Other Stories:

Holy war over Jerusalem church - BBC 30 July, 2002
In pictures: Bethlehem clean-up 11 May 02
Church with a turbulent history 04 Apr 02
28 January 2002: Sacred carving found in church cupboard returned to Ethiopia
Holy Jerusalem: The key to peace 28 Sep 00
Holy Sepulchre row 22 Jun 99
22 June 1999: Christians split over key rights to holiest shrine
29 December 1996: Holy City facing rift over funds for shrine

Links:

Six religions hold claim to Church of Holy Sepulchre Catherine Watson - Apr 23, 2000
Like so much of the Middle East, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre -- the site that many Christians believe to be Jesus' tomb -- has a complicated history. First, a pagan temple was built over it. That was torn down and a Christian church started about 326 A.D. Attacking Persians destroyed it in 614. Arabs destroyed its replacement in 1009, and it wasn't fully rebuilt until the Crusaders took over 90 years later. Their enlarged replacement was consecrated in 1149, and it's basically the church that's there now, despite a fire in 1808 and an earthquake in 1927. Six religions claim a piece of the complex. . The Greek Orthodox, the Roman Catholics and the Armenian Orthodox have major rights; those with minor rights are the Syrian, Coptic and Abyssinian Orthodox. Under an arrangement made by the Ottoman Turks in the 1800s, each sect maintains its piece of the building, and they follow a strict schedule dictating who can hold what processions and services where. Relations are so tense between these Christian factions that if the Church of the Holy Sepulchre manages to get a new roof, then the Arab-Israeli peace process ought to be a shoo-in. Three years ago, after decades of bickering, it did get a new roof. But nobody's been able to put in a new back door. With hordes of Christian pilgrims anticipated for the 2,000th anniversary of Christ's birth, Israeli officials had argued hard last year for an emergency exit. But that would have meant cutting through some sect's territory. In the end, even the tough-minded Israelis caved, opting for more police protection and the hope of longer visiting hours. This being the Holy Land, not everybody agrees on what the Church of the Holy Sepulchre represents. Is it really the site of Jesus' tomb? The Catholic and Orthodox say yes. Protestants have doubts. There are three main contenders for the burial site. The most visited, of course, is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Choice two is a burial chamber of the early Christian era, cut into rock off a nearby alcove in the same church. It's not part of the mainstream tour, but my Israeli and Palestinian Christian guides took me there. Enough pilgrims visit to keep its walls greasy with candle smoke. The third choice is the Garden Tomb, named for its setting outside the walls and to the north of the Old City. No one flat-out says it's the tomb of Christ. But it's a plain rock chamber carved out in the time of Christ, with a slot in front for a stone door to roll in. British-run, unadorned and incense-free, it's a favorite stop for Protestant pilgrims, my guides said. And the fourth candidate? Given doubts that have been raised about the others, it's possible the real tomb is somewhere else, whether that's in a geographical place or, as faith might dictate, an individual heart. http://www.startribune.com/stories/427/51449.html © Copyright 2002 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.