Israeli authorities apologies after police manhandle Orthodox cleric
May 15, 2013
Israel’s deputy foreign minister has issued an apology to the Coptic Orthodox Church after a Coptic priest was beaten by police during Holy Saturday observances at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Police confronted pilgrims outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on May 4, as thousand of Christians arrived for Easter celebrations, according to the Orthodox calendar. Orthodox leaders complained that police were unduly rough as they broke up crowds along the narrow streets of the ancient city, and in one particularly shocking incident, Father Arsanios, an 85-year-old cleric, was beaten, temporarily losing consciousness. A video of the incident circulated quickly on the internet, prompting the official apology. Father Arsanios was treated at a local hospital and released.
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