By Matters India Reporter

Kochi, Nov 27, 2022: The liturgy dispute in a Catholic archdiocese in Kerala took an ugly turn November 27 when its administrator was prevented from forcibly entering the cathedral church to offer Sunday Mass.

Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the administrator, came to St Mary’s Basilica Cathedral Church escorted with police to offer Mass in the synod-approved format that is being opposed by the majority of Catholics and clergy in the archdiocese.

Those opposing the administrator had already filled the basilica compound and locked the church gate preventing the prelate to enter the church.

Sensing trouble, the police officials accompanying the archbishop did not allow him to get out of the car. After waiting for almost 10 minutes in front of the basilica, the prelate returned to the nearby Archbishop’s House along with the police and his supporters.

The administrator’s supporters broke open the Archbishop’s House’s main gate so that the prelate could enter. They also destroyed a television set, chairs, and photo of former Metropolitan Vicar Archbishop Antony Kariyil among other things in the building.

However, the police officials chased Archbishop Thazhath’s supporters as they continued to indulge in violence.

In the meantime Archbishop Thazhath sat in his car outside the main gate of the Archbishop’s House with the police escort.

A couple of his supporters, who broke open the Archbishop’s House’s main gate, were seen in many video footages urging Archbishop Thazhath to enter the building.

The latest developments took place a day after a three-member panel appointed by the Syro-Malabar Church’s permanent synod agreed to convey the demands of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese to the apex body and promised to find a solution.

The Church’s permanent synod of bishops on November 24 appointed the panel after it realized that Archbishop Thazhath was leading the archdiocese to a breakaway point.

On November 25, the panel led by Archbishop Mathew Moolakkatt of Kottayam had a cordial meeting for three hours with the representatives of the priests and laity of the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly. The other members in the panel are Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry and Bishop Jose Chittooparambil of Rajkot.

However, Archbishop Thazhath ignored the panel’s promises and tried to forcibly enter the cathedral to offer the Synod Mass.

Some Church observers say the administrator’s arrogant behavior has severely affected the peace initiative.

More than 500,000 believers and 460 priests in the archdiocese have boycotted the apostolic administrator since October after he unilaterally ordered the priests to offer the Synod-approved Mass in place of their traditional Mass.

However, on November 21 the priests and lay people laid a siege on the Archbishop’s House after he ordered the Cathedral parish priest to make arrangement for him to offer Synod Mass on November 27, the first day of the Advent.

The administrator had also instructed the rector of the archdiocesan Sacred Heart Minor Seminary to start offering Synod Mass instead of the traditional Mass where the celebrant faces the congregation throughout as against the Synod Mass format that stipulates the priest to face the congregation and the altar on a 50-50 formula.

The priests and Catholics of the archdiocese want the traditional Mass, but the Synod insists that they comply with its order, which finally led to the current protests.

The Vatican on July 30 appointed Archbishop Thazhath as the apostolic administrator after accepting the resignation of Metropolitan Vicar Archbishop Antony Kariyil.

Archbishop Thazhath came with the mandate to resolve the crisis in the archdiocese, but his autocratic approach has enraged the laity and the priests who have decided to boycott him. The lay people have vowed to not allow the prelate enter any church or institution in the archdiocese.

Riju Kanjookaran, the spokesperson of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency, told Matters India on November 27, “We will not allow Archbishop Andrews Thazhath to enter our archdiocesan institutions like what happened in Cathedral Basilica.”

He said they would consult the priests and others to decide whether they should continue their dialogue with the Synod-appointed panel. “Archbishop Thazhath would not be accepted,” he said categorically.

All 35 dioceses, except the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly have adopted the Synod format in November 2021.

The Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese had approached Synod of Syro-Malabar Church to grant its Mass a “liturgy variant status,” but the bishops have refused to accept it.

They also petitioned the Vatican to allow them to continue with their traditional Mass as a “liturgy variant,” but to no avail.

Some Church observers say the Synod decision was aimed at diverting the public attention from some land sale scandals against Cardinal George Alencherry, the head of the Oriental Catholic Rite. The sale has incurred loss to tune of 10 million rupees for the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.

Meanwhile Archbishop Thazhath was elected the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, national body of Catholic bishops of all three Catholic ritual Churches in India