Badonk a Monk

From the AP

"Dressed in the vestments of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations, rival monks threw punches and anything they could lay their hands on.

The Greeks blamed the Armenians for not recognizing their rights inside the holy site, while the Armenians said the Greeks had violated one of their traditional ceremonies.

Israeli policemen scuffle with an Armenian altar boy during a fight at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on 9 November2008

An Armenian clergyman said the Greek clergy had tried to place one of their monks inside the Edicule, an ancient structure which is said to encase the tomb of Jesus.

"What is happening here is a violation of status quo. The Greeks have tried so many times to put their monk inside the tomb but they don't have the right to when the Armenians are celebrating the feast," he said. "





Check out the shit starter Armenian Monk in the red.


The place is shared by a lot more than just the two current brawling factions. There are custodians there from Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox ,Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Syriac Orthodox Churches. The protestant churches were just never invited having been considered heretic sects when the "Status Quo" was implemented in 1555 or so. This setup is so effed up that 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.

What's crazy is how aggressively everyone defends their "Rights" to this shrine.

"On a hot summer day in 2002, the Coptic monk who is stationed on the roof to express Coptic claims to the Ethiopian territory there moved his chair from its agreed spot into the shade. This was interpreted as a hostile move by the Ethiopians, and eleven were hospitalized after the resulting fracas. "

I don't want to get on any sort of Atheist's rant but, Jesus H. Christ!