Story By:  Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor:  Joseph Golder,  Agency: Central European News

CEN/e95news

This is the moment a priest is shoved to the floor and then begins throwing wild punches during a brawl between clergy members in a church.

The scene took place in the Church of the Nativity of Christ, an Orthodox church in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa in the Odessa Oblast region and was recorded by an onlooker.

In the video, a group of churchgoers and clergy members can be seen in the church when two women begin fighting.

A clergy member in a purple robe then appears to try to break up the fight but he is shoved to the floor by another man. He springs to his feet and begins throwing punches as other clergymen begin shoving each other and ornaments are knocked to the ground.

Local media report the incident occurred when an abbot became angry with the newly-elected Bishop of the Odessa Orthodox Church, who ordered for the abbot to be fired.

It is unclear if any punishments have been handed out by church officials as a result of the incident.

Netizen ‘Mila Sultanbekova’ said: “These Ukrainian priests keep nothing sacred! Shame on you!”

Another netizen named ‘Nikitos’ said: “And these are the people who tell us how to be united?! They don’t even have solidarity in their own church! How dare they teach others how to live?!”

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