Priest Punches Best Man for Following Old Tradition

Irate priest in Cyprus lands more than one punch
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 13, 2016 5:32 PM CDT
Priest Punches Best Man for Following Old Tradition
File photo.   (Shutterstock)

The best man slapped the groom on the back, which is an old Cypriot wedding custom. The priest punching the best man would be an innovation. But Cyprus police said Monday they are investigating an allegation that this happened at a wedding over the weekend, the AP reports. Police say the victim, the groom's 22-year-old brother, was taken to a hospital but wasn't seriously hurt and that his family filed a complaint. A family member—speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing—says the priest had initially gestured with a raised hand for the slapping to cease, then punched the brother in the chest and face when the warning went unheeded.

The family member says the wedding unraveled during the ceremony's Dance of Isaiah, when the priest, holding the Gospel, led the couple around the altar three times. With the backslapping continuing, the irate priest put the gospel down and unleashed on the brother. "It's a tradition that I don't condone, but that was uncalled for. ... He could have just interrupted the ceremony," says the family member. He says although the priest hastily abandoned the ceremony after the kerfuffle, 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 says. (More priest stories.)

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