By Matters India Reporter
Kochi, Oct 21, 2022: The priests and lay people of a Catholic archdiocese in the Syro-Malabar Church have snapped their ties with the Vatican appointed administrator as the dispute over Mass celebration entered a new phase.
Father Jose Vailikodath, senior priest and public relations officer of Archdiocesan Protection Committee (of priests), in a statement issued on October 18 said, “377 priests from 16 forane churches in the archdiocese have signed the resolution to permanently boycott” the apostolic administrator Archbishop Andrews Thazhath.
The Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese has 460 diocesan priests and among them 450 supported the resolution even though some could not sign it as they were away and serving outside the archdiocese.
The Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT), a lay people’s movement in the archdiocese, has also supported the boycott call.
“We are with our priests and will not allow the administrator to enter our churches,” Riju Kanjookaran, AMT spokesperson told Matters India on October 21.
The priests and lay people have also announced to discontinue all financial contributions from parishes to the Archbishop’s House and restrain the entry of the administrator and his supporters to parishes and other Church run institutions with effect from October 18.
They allege that the administrator has betrayed them and compromised with the interests of the archdiocese.
No priest in the archdiocese will report to the administrator nor take orders or communication from him.
The priests also said they will deal with all issues that mandated the consent of the administrator at forane level openly challenging the authority of the administrator who they say is “unfit to the office.”
This move, according to Church officials who did not want to be named, has serious repercussion as “it looks like an open challenge to the authority of Vatican.”
Archbishop Thazhath on July 30 took over as the administrator after the apostolic nuncio forced the resignation of Metropolitan Vicar Archbishop Antony Kariyil. Archbishop Thazhath has been mandated to settle the over five-decade long Mass dispute among other issues.
The priests and the laity opposed Archbishop Thazhath’s appointment accusing him of manipulating to get Archbishop Kariyil’s resignation. However the resentment against the administrator took a turn on September 30 when he ordered the priests to offer Synod approved Mass with immediate effect.
Archbishop Thazhath also withdrew dispensation granted to the archdiocese by his predecessor to offer Mass with the celebrant facing the congregation instead of the 50:50 formula decided by the Church’s Synod that requires priests to face the altar with his back to the congregation during the Eucharistic prayer until Communion.
Earlier the AMT had called for boycott of the administrator and threatened to block his entry into the Archbishop’s House and started round the clock vigil around the Archbishop’s house from October 16.
Archbishop Thazhath, however, entered the Archbishop’s House on October 17 night with the help of police.
A day later the priests and the lay people snapped their ties the administrator, who is also the Archbishop of Trichur archdiocese, 75 km north.
Archbishop Thazhath reportedly left Ernakulam-Angamaly Archbishop’s House for Trichur on October 19 after the police force from the Archbishop’s House was withdrawn under pressure from the priests.
The liturgical dispute in the Syro-Malabar Church is more than five-decade old when the Church initiated a revision of its liturgy.
The Synod of Bishops in 1999 agreed to introduce the 50:50 Synod Mass in place of traditional Mass and but it had to shelve the decision following a major controversy.
This, however, was revived in August 2021 when the synod decided to implement the 1999 decision to bring uniformity in Mass celebrations across all dioceses saying it would bring more unity among its members.
All but Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese among the Church’s 35 dioceses have begun celebrating the synod-approved Mass with from November after initial protests from some diocese.
Priests and people supporting the traditional Mass blamed the Synod for reviving a dead issue and creating discord in the Church in the name of uniformity.
The priests and faithful in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese asserted that they would not adopt the Synod Mass and appealed the Vatican to accord a liturgy variant status to their Mass form.
The officials of the Syro-Malabar Church have not responded to the new development yet.
Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese makes up 10 percent of 55 million members of the Syro-Malabar Church. This is also the seat of its patriarch Cardinal George Alencherry.
,Kerala People are a stiffnecked people. They are a jealous people. They can’t tolerate a more intelligent and capable person ( instance, Tharoor was voted down )
Ernakulam Ankamali people are misguided by vested interests. They do not seem to care for Christ Then who is Pope ?
The demand of the priests of Ernakulam Angamaly archdiocese is to allow them to celebrate mass in a similar way to the Latin rite present style of mass celebration. So this is nothing wrong in itself but it is not considered suitable by the Synod for an Oriental rite. In this long prolonged conflict of views perhaps a possible solution is for the diocese concerned to join the Latin rite and solve the issue. This will have other repercussions, no doubt, but perhaps this thinking out of the box could solve a serious problem. In any case, priests have no right to make the laity to defy the Vatican and break away from the true Church founded by Jesus Christ. Shepherds must not mislead the sheep.
It’s a great pity, what’s happening in Ernakulam Ankamaly Arch Diocese, if all other syromalabar churches can celebrate the synod model why Ernakulam insist the other way about? If churches have decided not to give the contribution to the diocesan headquarters, what if people decide not to give any amount to the local churc
The holy mass facing the people is the present norm in the Latin rite church but it does not suit the traditional mentality of the Syro-Malabar Church. There is nothing wrong per se in this form of the celebration. This being the crux of the problem and the impasse would the dissident priests and laity consider switching over to the Latin rite and jurisdiction? This is a delicate matter but could be considered with an open mind and with docility to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Whatever decision is made the shepherds of the Church have no right and mandate to separate the flock from the successor of St. Peter. If they do so they will have to account for it before our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. To think along these lines we have to give priority to unity of faith over matters of rite or manner of worship.
Jesus never followed any fifty fifty formula. It was all hundred percent for him as he had the last supper with his disciples. Formulas and accretions are not Christ’s way.
It is high time that the laity stood up for its principles and opposed draconian impositions.