July 14, 2005
A scuffle occurred in Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox patriarchate on Wednesday between supporters of the deposed patriarch Irineos I and protestors wanting to evict him from the premises. It fight occurred as Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas formally approved the decision to remove Irineos from office following an alleged sale of church land in a predominately Palestinian area to Jewish investors. When the patriarch, flanked by around 20 supporters, tried to get into his office, a group of opponents moved to stop him and a fight broke out, according to Jerusalem police. A police officer was lightly injured by two of Irineos's supporters, who were subsequently arrested. Patriarchate secretary Aristarchos said Irineos's bodyguards later forced their way into his office. One Orthodox priest told the news agency AFP that Irineos had been barred from returning after leaving to ordain two bishops in the West Bank. "He refuses to leave and still considers himself patriarch, which creates permanent tension inside the building," said the cleric. The Greek foreign ministry condemned the violence calling it "an act that we disapprove of totally," said deputy foreign minister Panayotis Skandalakis in a statement.