In Utah, fight breaks out at Greek Orthodox church

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A fight erupted at a Greek Orthodox church near Salt Lake City on Sunday after longstanding financial tensions boiled over toward the end of a service, police say.

Members of Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Holladay pushed and shoved each other during a Sunday service after a former leader announced he would still show up for work even though he was let go in December, some churchgoers said.

Another leader cried out in opposition and began fighting with another member, according to those in favor of reinstating the Rev. Michael Kouremetis. The group, Protect Our Clergy, is raising money to bring him back onboard.

Police were called to the church, but no one was injured or arrested.

Tensions have mounted at the church since parish leaders floated plans in July to cut pay for three priests by 40 percent. The Greek Orthodox authority in Denver, which oversees the Holladay parish, ordered that the priests receive their full salaries.

Prophet Elias members later voted to cut one post and pay the others in full but were evenly split on the issue.

After the disturbance Sunday, parish officials in an email to members called the fight an assault and asked parishioners not to throw fists in church, the Salt Lake Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/1fbLVr7).

Police are investigating whether the incident was an assault.

Parishioners took the pushing and shoving into the narthex, a room adjacent to the larger service space.

An opposing group that is raising money to bring back Kouremetis said the call to police Sunday was an overreaction.

Council president Dimitrios Tsagaris told the newspaper that church leaders have asked police to attend the next service just in case, but that he doesn't expect any more scuffles.

"Everybody is going to come to church," he said. "It's not a big deal. There were just some hot tempers and that's about it."

Stavros Papagermanos, a spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, said Friday that he had not heard about the fight in Utah and that it's usually up to regional authorities, like the one in Denver, to call the shots on hiring and firing leaders.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/In-Utah-fight-breaks-out-at-Greek-Orthodox-church-5172108.php