For the next few weeks, when I'm not grading, I will likely be on a plane. But this one was too good to pass up. From the Times of London (HT -- once again -- BoingBoing):

The cradle of Christianity was rocked by an unholy punch-up when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean Bethlehems Church of the Nativity. The ancient place of worship, built over the site where Jesus Christ is said to have been born in a stable more than 2,000 years ago, is shared by various branches of Christianity, each of which controls and jealously guards a part of the holy site.The brawl apparently began when Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church after the Christmas Day celebrations. Armenian priests claimed that the ladders encroached on their portion of the church, which led the two sects to exchange angry words which quickly turned to blows.

Eduardo M. Peñalver is president of Seattle University. The views expressed in this piece are his own and do not represent the views of Seattle University.

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