Kochi, Jan 5, 2020: The question whether the celebrant should face the congregation (westward) or eastward during Mass, a bone of contention in the Syro-Malabar Church for several decades, is back in focus again.

On the agenda of the Church synod meeting at St. Thomas Mount in Kochi, headquarters of the Church, from January 7 are possible changes to the liturgy and the direction the celebrant should take during Mass.

Monsignor Varghese Njaliath, senior priest and an expert on liturgy, on January 2 made an appeal to the synod not to ban the practice of priests celebrating Mass facing the congregation. He was speaking at a seminar on liturgy at Kochi’s Renewal Centre. A general opinion at the seminar was that it is not to the east but to the Cross of Christ that the priest should look during Mass.

Father Njaliath said the spirit of the Second Vatican Council should be imbibed and no restriction should be imposed on offering Mass facing the congregation. Pastoral councilor secretary P. Gerard spoke on the agenda of the Synod. Around 1,200 representatives from different parishes of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese participated in the seminar.

In the controversy, a golden mean was struck sometime back with the celebrant being allowed to face the congregation up to the homily and then being allowed to celebrate the consecration of the host and rest of the Mass facing away from the people.

Even the compromise formula has been skipped in Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese where Mass is celebrated with the celebrant facing the congregation throughout. A large section of the faithful in the archdiocese fears a ban on Mass facing the congregation, to bring about liturgical unity.

Meanwhile, the Thrissur archdiocese said it had always taken a neutral position on the issue. “We are ready to abide by the decision of the synod,” archdiocese sources said.

Sources in the Thamarassery diocese said the agenda of the synod is finalized only in its first sitting.

Any propaganda about the items on the agenda of the synod is obviously a part of the defense mechanism of those who have vested interests, they added.