Priest punches best man during a wedding

 

Cyprus: In Cypriot wedding custom, the best man can slap the groom on the back. But what about the priest punching the best man? A priest has allegedly punched a 22 year old bestman during a wedding in Cyprus over the weekend.

Cyprus police on Monday said they were investigating the incident.
Police say the victim – the groom’s brother was taken to a hospital but wasn’t badly hurt and that his family filed a complaint.
According to a family member, the priest had initially signaled with a raised hand for the slapping to stop, but the warning was ignored which prompted the priest to punched the man in the chest and face.
The family member also added;

“It’s a tradition that I don’t condone, but that was uncalled for... He could have just interrupted the ceremony,”. He said although the priest quickly abandoned the ceremony after the conflict, the couple did receive a marriage certificate.

“The wedding was spoilt after that with many people not showing up for the reception after word spread, but we made the best of it,” the family member said.

The Bishop of Paphos Georgios defended the priest, whom he praised as one of the best clerics in his Diocese. He told the state-run Cyprus News Agency that the backslapping custom, dating from Ottoman times, doesn’t befit the island’s Orthodox Christian traditions.
Though he said he would investigate the matter, he also said he had instructed priests to stop any ceremony where family or guests didn’t show the proper way.