The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Photo: vanerp.net

JERUSALEM. An age old dispute between Christian denominations that share the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem erupted into a brawl over the opening of a door during a Greek Orthodox procession.

The incident draws fresh attention to the rivalry between the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Ethiopian, Egyptian Coptic and Syrian Orthodox denominations who rigorously guard their sections of the church under a “status quo” law passed in 1757 during the days of the Ottoman Empire, whose leaders were Muslims.

The incident began during a Greek Orthodox ceremony on Monday to commemorate the 4th century pilgrimage to Jerusalem of Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine.

It erupted as a Greek Orthodox procession approached the door to a Roman Catholic chapel in the church, traditionally revered as the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ’s burial.

“The Catholic priest tried to stop them from going in,” Aviad Sar-Shalom, an Israeli tour guide, recounted. “The Greek Orthodox monks beat the Catholic monk. He was badly beaten and then they lifted him up like a sack of potatoes and threw him out of the church,” Sar-Shalom said.

Four Greek Orthodox priests were detained by police and at least five people were wounded during the fracas, including several policemen who raced to the scene and tried to separate the warring sides.

Greek Orthodox clerics denied hitting the priest and blamed the Franciscan order for the incident.

“This is supposed to be a festive time, but the Catholics, they made problems,” said Father Pandelemos, an Orthodox cleric.

Relations between the Christian groups that share the church have been so tense over the centuries that the keys to the holy site’s main entrance have been entrusted to two Muslim families, who are seen as neutral parties.