WORLD : Israel Steps Into Christian Feud

Israel said today it will repair a leaky roof at the Church of the Nativity, built at the site where tradition says Jesus was born, because feuding Christian sects can’t agree on who is responsible for upkeep.

Repairs at the church in the West Bank town of Bethlehem will begin in a few days and should be completed by Christmas, said Shmuel Hamburger, a military government official.

“The roof is in such bad shape that the last time we had rain two weeks ago, it was pouring inside the church,” he said.

He said there were gaping holes in the wood-and-tar roof. Last Christmas, buckets for rainwater were set out inside the basilica. The Greek Orthodox Church had insisted on fixing the roof, saying it traditionally cleaned the roof and therefore should be allowed to do the repairs. The rival Armenian and Roman Catholic churches protested, saying the roof should be fixed by all three groups--or not at all.