By Matters India Reporter

Kochi, Dec 6, 2022: The Kerala High Court has ordered the state police to provide protection to the Vatican-appointed administrator of a strife-torn archdiocese in the southern Indian state.

The apex court in Kerala on December 5 ordered police protection for Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the apostolic administrator of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in response to the prelate’s petition.

The prelate’s petition has stated that he fears for his life especially from Father Sebastian Thalian, convener of the Archdiocesan Protection Committee and Riju Davis, secretary of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (ATM), and added them as respondents.

The court also sought replies from the duo and the matter was posted for hearing on December 8.

The prelate has also sought an order from the High Court for his free access to the Archbishop’s House and the St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica where he is denied entry by the priests and laity who oppose the Synod approved uniform mode of Mass.

On the contrary, the priests and the people in the archdiocese want to continue with the mode they have followed for more than six decades where the priest faces the congregation throughout the Mass.

The court ordered the police to help the archbishop access the Archbishop’s House and the cathedral. It also ordered the police to remove those inside the Archbishop’s House.

The priests and people of the archdiocese have been camping inside the Archbishop’s House since November 21 and denied Archbishop Thazhath’s entry. The archbishop had asked the cathedral vicar to facilitate him to offer the Synod Mass on November 27.

On that day, the prelate reached the cathedral but returned after the people refused him enter the church.

The protesters said Archbishop Thazhath came to the cathedral ignoring appeals from the curia, the parish priest and even the police not to come for the Mass as the people were against him.

As the police did not allow the archbishop to get out of his car he went to the nearby Archbishop’s House where a group believed to be his supporters broke open the gate and entered the building and destroyed furniture, portraits, television among other things. They went away after the police threatened to initiate action against them.

Meanwhile, the AMT on December 5 lodged a police complaint against Archbishop Thazhath and 30 others for trespassing into the Archbishop’s House.

The police have not yet registered a First Information Report (FIR) on the complaint.

In another development, nine Syro-Malabar Syro-Malabar bishops have expressed their displeasure over the functioning of Archbishop Thazhath.

The bishops in a confidential letter appealed Cardinal George Alencherry, the head of the Oriental Church, “to do everything possible to stop this crisis with a pastoral solution.” The letter was however leaked to the media.

In the November 28 letter, the prelates said the apostolic administrator had attempted to derail a peace process already underway to settle the liturgy dispute amicably in the archdiocese.

Referring to the Vatican administrator’s failed attempt to offer Mass in the cathedral, the bishops said “to our dismay, leaving that dialogue process halfway Archbishop Thazhath rushed to the basilica with police protection and attempted to celebrate holy Mass on the first Sunday of Advent.”

“We understand that the Basilica Vicar and curia members had informed him of the grave law and order situation there and requested him not to come. We regret to say that his visit was unfortunate and it worsened the situation,” the bishops added.

The police on November 27 closed the cathedral for public.

“I was an improper act, especially in the contest of the committee appointed by the Major Archbishop (Cardinal Alencherry) had already launched a dialogue process. The provocation will only strengthen the protest; violence breeds violence is a proven truth,” the prelates added.

A three-member panel led by Archbishop Mathew Moolakkatt of Kottayam, on November 25 initiated dialogue with the leaders of the warring faction of priests and laity in the archdiocese.

The other members are Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry and Bishop Jose Chittooparambil of Rajkot.

Both sides tentatively agreed to have a ceasefire until the next meeting of the Syro-Malabar Synod in January 2023 to avoid further embarrassment to the Church.

More than 500,000 believers and 460 priests in the archdiocese have been on war path since August last year after the Synod of the Oriental Church instructed its 35 dioceses to adopt Synod approved official mass for more uniformity.

Barring the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly other dioceses have complied with the synod order from November 28, 2021 after initial resistance.

The only demand of the Ernakulam group is that their traditional Mass be accorded a “liturgy variant status” for which the Synod is not ready leading to the current crisis.

The Vatican appointed Archbishop Thazhath on July 30 to settle the dispute amicably. However, his alleged autocratic rule has aggravated the situation with the priests and people boycotting him. They also banned his entry into all archdiocesan institutions.

The bishops also expressed their grief over destroying the lock of the main gate of the Archbishop’s House and vandalizing it saying, “It was heart breaking to see some people destroying the magnificent entrance hall of the Archbishop’s House. This is our mother house and part of our history. We deplore such unfortunate events in highest terms.”

The bishops also reminded Cardinal Alencherry that they had registered their dissent in the August 2021 Synod against implementation of uniform mode of liturgy as they knew the pulse of the people, but “it was not given due consideration”.

They also asserted that the liturgy dispute and its subsequent developments “has tarnished image of the Church and put the credibility of the Synod at stake”.

The bishops also appealed to Cardinal Alencherry to address the situation with a father’s heart taking the priests into confidence and facilitate to open the Basilica for worship and bringing back peace.”

Meanwhile the Syro-Malabar Media Commission has expressed its displeasure over the leakage of the confidential letter to the media.

Its December 2 clarification backed Archbishop Thazhath saying he was merely complying with his mandate given by the Vatican to implement the Synod approved Mass.

Archbishop Thazhath too reaffirmed it in a letter issued on December 4 saying, “I have no authority and option other than to implement it.”

The Vatican had specified that the Synodal decision on the uniform mode of celebration of Holy Qurbana (Mass) had to be implemented immediately in the cathedral, formation houses and pilgrim centers and other institutions.

Referring to the protests, Archbishop Thazhath appealed the priests to refrain from such activities saying, “to protest against above mentioned decisions of the Apostolic See will be considered as protest against the Holy Father and the rejection of his decisions.”

Archbishop Thazhath, who is the archbishop of neighboring Trichur archdiocese, was recently elected as the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the apex body of bishops belonging to the three ritual Churches in India.

The signatories of the letter are Archbishops Antony Kariyil, Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, Bishops Thomas Chakiath, Gratian Mundadan, Dominic Kokkat, Jose Chittooparambil, Sebastian Adayanthrath, Ephrem Nariculam and Jose Puthenveettil.