Published by Disagreements are not uncommon within the ranks of Christianity, but are unbelievable when it concerns the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where disputes and fights among monks and resident clerics have become a regular problem. There are three different denominations controlling the affairs of the Church, namely, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and the Franciscan Order of the Roman Catholic Church, each claiming custody of the holy site — a 1,700-year-old basilica, considered to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ. It is believed that the feuding monks of the Church, belonging to the three different denominations, have even begun stockpiling rocks in expectation of future altercations that might reach a boiling point. Occasionally, the fights have become so physical that there were instances when members of the Church have been hospitalized. On one occasion, two Christmases ago, a fight had ensued over the dusting of chandeliers.
At this stage, while disagreements on the part of the monks and residents have become common, the roof of the Church is rotting, thus jeopardizing the structure of the building, parts of which date back to the 15th century. Dirty water keeps dripping upon precious paintings and mosaics, through cracks in the timbers. The problem keeps getting worse, for the reason that urgent repairs are held in abeyance because of jealousy and claims of custody.
Bethlehem is under the control of the Palestinian Authority whose inability to intervene because of lack of funds and the absence of unity on the part of the three separate denominations within the Church.
The basilica is one of the most ancient churches in the world, having miraculously survived invasion, regime changes, fires, earthquakes, and last but not least, the 2002 siege of Bethlehem when Palestinian terrorists took refuge in the church, trying to escape from Israeli forces.
The monks of the three different Orders are prepared to pick up part of the tab, as a means of beating the competition, but continue to be mired in disputes, stemming from jealousy.
The publicized fight that happened two Christmases ago, was attributed to a territorial dispute: The Greeks were cleaning a part of the Church that was under the control of the Armenians. They were dusting the chandeliers, standing on a ladder that was set up on their own turf, when it became necessary to move the ladder, and in so doing, encroached on the Armenian turf.
According to Raymond Cohen, a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, repairs to the Church are urgent and should be expedited. The childish altercations on the parts of the monks, should not remain an obstacle to the maintenance of the sanctity of the Church.
