By Matters India Reporter

New Delhi: The Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly on June 22 brought drastic administrative changes within hours of Pope Francis appointing a new apostolic administrator.

The Pope on June 22 evening appointed Bishop Jacob Manathodath of Palghat as the administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Syro-Malabar archdiocese, replacing Bishop Sebastian Adayanthrath.

The new administrator is scheduled to take charge on June 23, but curia revamp took place immediately after the papal announcement.

The archdiocese has disbanded its various councils, including the one for its priests.

It also revamped the archdiocesan curia with Father Varghese Pottackal as the new vicar general. He is currently the vicar of Kanjoor Forane Church. The finance officer of the archdiocese is Father Sebastian Manickathan and the vice chancellor is Father Varghese Perumayan, reports newsatindia.com, a Kochi-based news portal.

Pope Francis was forced to intervene after the Congregation for the Oriental Churches noted a “grave and worrying ecclesiastical situation” in the archdiocese because of division between the clergy, auxiliary bishops and the major archbishop.

The pontiff has tasked the new administrator to find ways to heal the fractures and pinpoint those responsible for wounding Church unity with “unfounded allegations” creating public scandals that damaged the Syro-Malabar Church.

A section of priests in the archdiocese had accused Cardinal Alencherry of incurring huge losses for the archdiocese through some questionable land deals. The controversy led to the formation of camps within the Syro-Malabar Church that either supported or opposed the cardinal.

Bishop Manathodath is the apostolic administrator “Sede Plena,” an appointment done in a special case when the diocesan bishop is still in place.

Normally, the Pope appoints an apostolic administrator when a see or diocese is vacant (sede vacante).

Hence, Cardinal George Alencherry continues to be the Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly as well as the head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.