Bangalore: The Vatican has issued a ten-point directive to resolve the controversy over liturgical language in Bangalore archdiocese that has caused violent protests for more than four decades.

The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which issued the April 12 guidelines, said they would set the southern Indian archdiocese’s language policy and find a “permanent solution to the long-standing” controversy.

Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore has barred his people from questioning or discussing the Vatican directive but seek ways to implement it with immediate effect.

The archdiocese, based at the Karnataka state capital of Bangalore, has witnessed tussles between Kannada- and Tamil-speaking Catholics. Kannada is the official language of the state and local Catholics demand that the archdiocese use it in church services.

However, more than 70 percent of the archdiocese´s Catholics are ethnic Tamils who came to Karnataka from adjacent Tamil Nadu state. They want the liturgy in their own language. Confrontations between the two groups have often turned violent, especially during Christmas and Easter seasons.

The problem deepened after some Kannada Catholics sought the help of Kannada Rakshana Vedhige (Kannada protection council), which was created a decade ago to promote the local language.

The archdiocese, spread over 27,123 square kilometers, has 425,000 Catholics in a population of 16.2 million who speak English, Telugu, Malayalam and Konkany, besides Kannada and Tamil.

The Vatican congregation now wants everyone in the archdiocese to accept and follow the policy issued by Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore.

The Vatican directive sets Kannada as the principal language of the archdiocese. “In all parishes of the archdiocese, therefore, the principal language is to be encouraged in Masses and liturgical services and gradually introduced wherever it does not exist. While scheduling Masses, Kannada Mass could be given the prime time,” the directive asserted.

The directive also sets Kannada as the language for common liturgical celebrations in the archdiocese led by the local archbishop. However, readings, singing and commentary could be in other languages.

The Vatican is also concerned about other languages used in the diocese and wants the archdiocese to make provisions in parishes for Masses and other liturgical services in those languages, depending on the need of the congregation. “This is simply because the language of the liturgy should be in the language of the vast majority of people present at worship for their better understanding, participation and assimilation.

The Vatican also wants the archdiocese to cater to the large numbers of Catholics who have migrated to the cosmopolitan city from other parts of India and overseas.

“Majority of our children are studying in English Medium Schools. English, being the universal language, should be used for liturgy in all our parishes, especially in the city and semi-urban parishes,” the Vatican directive says.

It wants the parish pastoral council under its pastors’ leadership to make the profile of the parish community and propose to archbishop the timings and the language for Masses in the parish.

The archbishop will then discuss the matter with the dean and the college of consulters before reaching a decision. He will also set the policy for liturgy for First Communion, First Friday, parish feast and daily Masses.

The Vatican wants institutions and mission centers in the archdiocese to follow the same policy.

When a news parish is created or bifurcated from an existing one, the Archdiocesan Boundary Committee will propose the parish limits and the profile of the new parish, the directive says.

Marriage, funeral, anniversary and other similar celebrations should be in the language of choice of the parties concerned, and these celebrations are to be placed outside the fixed services of the parish. “If the parish priest is unable to celebrate such a Mass, the parties, with his permission, could bring their own priest.”

The language of the funeral of priest of archdiocese had to in English “unless otherwise circumstances demand it.”

The Pontifical congregation wants to solve all issues “in a cordial atmosphere with mutual respect, openness, dialogue and in consultation.”

Archbishop Moras, in his covering letter to all parishes and institutions, wants the directive to be read during Masses on all Saturdays and Sundays of April. He has asserted that none would question or discuss the Vatican directive but search for “ways and means” to implement the guidelines in the archdiocese.

He appealed to all priests, Religious and lay people to make “concerted and relentless efforts to implement these laws with the spirit of goodwill and undivided obedience to our higher ecclesiastical authorities,” and strive to end “this long-standing language controversy in our archdiocese.”

The prelate, who took over the archdiocese in 2004, also said if people have “genuine pastoral care and Christian fellowship,” they can “certainly promote peace and unity in the archdiocese.

He also sees “an opportune time for us to come together with God’s help to do our best to revitalize our pastoral ministries for everyone’s welfare in the Archdiocese.”

He said he chose to promulgate the directive on April 12, the Feast of Divine Mercy as he wants his people to discover the “true Christian spirit” and adopt “live and let live attitude” and “give and take policy” to ensure the Church flourishes in Bangalore.

There will be peace in Bangalore archdiocese at last.