Monks brawl before religious ceremony

[UndertheOcean]

Source: CNN

An unusual sight greeted Jerusalem police as they entered one of Christianity's holiest sites Sunday morning: dozens of monks punching and kicking each other in a massive brawl.
Israeli police scuffle with an Armenian monk Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Israeli police scuffle with an Armenian monk Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
more photos »

Monks from the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations were preparing for a ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City when a disagreement led to a full-fledged fistfight.

The fight began when Armenian clergy were holding a procession to commemorate the finding of the cross believed to have been used in the crucifixion of Jesus, according to The Associated Press.

The Greek members of the clergy wanted one of their monks present, the AP reported, for fear that the procession would undermine their claim to an ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus.

The two sides could not agree, and when the Armenians tried to begin the procession, the Greek monks stepped in and the fighting began, the AP reported.
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Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/09/israel.brawling.monks/index.html

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wow , not sure this is LBN material , but its damn funny

[LeftyMom]

1. This seems to be a Christmas tradition.

Happened last year too.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

Sadly, it happens every year. nt

[XemaSab]

20. I'm assuming it happens right after the "airing of grievances."

:eyes:

[SpiralHawk]

2. "God is on OUR side." - Brawlers

Hate is love.
War is peace.
Ignorance is strength.

[HopeHoops]

3. I was hit with imagery of a bunch of Friar Tuck sorts belly bouncing each other

Now I feel like I need a beer - and it isn't even 5:00 yet!

[customerserviceguy]

21. Ah, beer!

Which was brewed by monks during the Middle Ages. Think about that when you hoist your glass!

[Hekate]

4. It's the Jews who keep the Christian sects from killing each other at their holy sites in Jerusalem

Or as we say in our mixed home: Oy To The World. :eyes:

Hekate

[TexasProgresive]

9. Before that it was the Ottoman's

[Endangered Specie]

23. They should stop.

[Hekate]

25. That would be wrong. nt

[Endangered Specie]

26. As long as their is no innocent bystanders, as far as I'm concerned...

they can all kill each other, they all seem to want to, and what do we say about the rights of consenting adults?

[Mari333]

5. Shaolin fighting monks are way cooler

[undeterred]

6. No pacifists or trappists in these orders, apparently.

[dipsydoodle]

7. What isn't mentioned there,

but was mentioned in our TV news coverage, is that in an effort to prevent this likely event from occuring the keys are held by two Muslims.......lol.

[Lautremont]

8. Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?

Monks SHOULD brawl more, as should priests, ministers, rabbis and holy people of all sorts.

[Ian David]

11. Better they themselves fight, than that they send their followers off to war. n/t

[Ian David]

10. I would pay money to see monks fighting. Or nuns wrestling in Holy Jello.

[Cronopio]

12. "Brothers, we should be struggling together." "We are!"

Religion and testosterone - not a good mix.

Time to try the decaf, fellas.

[BadGimp]

13. I was just imagining an SNL skit with Monks throwing gang signs shit..

:)

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

14. ???

Holy Shit!!! What else can I say?

[laststeamtrain]

15. Monk Fight!!!

Nothing quite like some monks mixin' it up.

[eleny]

16. You Tube: Raw Video: Monks Brawl at Christian Holy Site

http://www.youtube.com/watch?q=monk+figh&client=firefox-a&v=jliTzw9qUbs&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnews%3Fum%3D1&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial

[IndianaGreen]

17. Religion at work!

Praise be to the gods, from Allah to Zeus!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

18. I keep getting this odd Kung Fu- West Side Story rumble thing in my head...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8R9GiLImSw

[Historic NY]

19. Imagine that its not the Jews & Palestinians fighting for a change...

Can't we all just get along? This is the "Holy Land".

[BreweryYardRat]

22. Monks have been fighting each other...

...since about five minutes after someone established a second monastic order. It's a tradition. And frankly, I'm glad they're fighting among themselves -- that way, they won't go after atheists, people of other religions or secular members of other Christian denominations.

Have any videos of the actual event (not the cops hauling them off) surfaced yet? I'd like to watch them pummel each other.

[Endangered Specie]

24. So when does this end up on Pay-Per-View?

[trof]

27. But...WHAT ABOUT THE LADDER!?

The feud is only one of a bewildering array of rivalries among churchmen in the Holy Sepulcher.

The Israeli government has long wanted to build a fire exit in the church, which regularly fills with thousands of pilgrims and has only one main door, but the sects cannot agree where the exit will be built.

A ladder placed on a ledge over the entrance sometime in the 19th century has remained there ever since because of a dispute over who has the authority to take it down.

More recently, a spat between Ethiopian and Coptic Christians is delaying badly needed renovations to a rooftop monastery that engineers say could collapse.
:rofl:

[No Elephants]

28. Greeks claim to be the spiritual heirs of the first Christians; Armenia, the first officially

Christian nation. So, it's only natural they would fight like anything over the cross at Jesus burial site.

[No Elephants]

29. Oops. Forgot to add [sarcasm]

[smirkymonkey]

30. This is too funny!

I suppose none of them see the irony in this, do they?