By George Pattery
Kolkata, Jan 11, 2023: I wish to congratulate you, not so much for the appointment as Major Archbishop, but for the hope that you would bring to rest at least for a while the intrigues and fights that have been wounding the Syro-Malabar Church and that there could be ‘listening ears’ amid arguments and counter-arguments on the non-essentials.
Pope Francis has given you a mandate – ‘don’t forget the poor.’ That could be the ‘horizon’ (in your own words) for the Syro-Malabar Church, emerging from this unwanted, childish and synod-led crisis.
The huge churches (mansions), with Vatican Basilica-type domes, all along the tiny but enrapturing strip of land of Kerala – god’s own country (Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Dalit, Marxist, trans-gender gods?) – do not invite ‘seekers’ inside, but turn true believers into ‘outsiders.’
The Year 2023 gave us ‘The Face of the Faceless’ – that heroic martyr called ‘Rani Maria’ – a true and brave daughter of the Syro-Malabar Church, and a martyr for Justice – witnessed the worst churchy fights, initiated by a thoughtless and provocative Synod, and masterminded by ‘chaldaya vadis’ for whom Jesus of the gospels is to be hidden ‘behind the curtain.’
When Pope Francis defined God as Mercy, and went to Baghdad to release “Fratelli tutti,’ the bishop of Pala is inventing Love Jihad in order to protect his women-folk from the Muslims, this in spite of an obligatory Syrian Catechesis for 12 years of school education. Mind you – There is NO common Catechetical Text for the whole of Kerala! We are Syrians.
When Pope Francis, on his first Maundy Thursday, washed the feet of young differently abled people including women, the Supra-pontificate of Syro-Malabar Church forbade such ‘acts’ because such an act is not acceptable to Kerala Culture/tradition – that too in a land that once forbade Dalit women to cover the upper part of their bodies, and strict untouchability was enforced; and fought against it bravely, Samudayam is more important than ‘Christian communities.’
When the first duly elected Marxist government in Kerala introduced ‘Land Act’ to give 10 cents of land to each tenant, the ancient, apostolic church of Syro-Malabar version, fought against it. Years later, the Pope invites you, ‘not to forget the poor’ – are we seeing the full circle of this social churning?
While late Sugatha Kumari – the well-known Malayalam poet – campaigned to protect the ecology of Wayanad, against the impending ecological disaster, the Syrian Church stood for its ‘samudayam’ that has contributed unwittingly to the disaster, and refused to see the global implications of such ecological crisis! ‘Laudato si’ is taken out of the Synod Agenda.
When the Latin Catholics campaigned against the ’Vizhinjam port’ project, because it affected their livelihood and on-coming ecological perils, it was reduced to a Latin issue, and the Syrians looked the other way.
Our ‘samudayam’ is more important than Gospel values, so our bishops will speak for increasing the price of rubber, forbid our people to act in films that embodies the ‘blessings’ of Pope Francis, and behave as if the ‘Syrian votes’ are in their pockets.
The Syro-Malabar Church is abusing the privilege accorded to individual churches, by the Second Vatican Council, in order to protect and foster true diversity of Catholicism, and is on a ‘colonizing expedition’ all over the world, to establish Syrian Identity, and building a multinational body often causing divisions within the local church communities.
Are we building Christian communities of ‘Jesus’ Table-Fellowship’ (radical inclusiveness), or expanding our ‘samudayam’ with its ‘kudayum’ (umbrella) and ‘kodimaravum’ (flag-pole), at the expense of supporting Christian communities of ‘washing one’s another’s feet?’
‘Populism, polarization and post-Truth’ (Naim Moises, The Revenge of power) seems to befit Syro-Malabar Church, with its hegemonic possibilities and adventures. Our ministry of reconciliation seems to be the easy victim. That does not matter as long ‘our tradition (Syrian) and culture (hegemony) are protected.
As Malayalam poet O N V Kurup wrote: ‘Bhoomiyil satyathinu etra vayasai’? (what is the age of truth on this earth? AD 52?
Passage of Time and Change is inevitable and so all things, persons, entitities too change with time and change. Syro malabar church is no exception. To hang on to the past traditions and to adhere to a decadent and dwindled past is similar to the the stiffneckedness and stubborness of the Jews who refused to listen to Jesus. There are over 1600 churches in Kerala. There are approx 64 Bishops, 8547 priests (3,556 diocesan and 4,991 religious), and 32,114 women religious and 1214 major seminarians. Whereas there are over 700 districts outside Kerala which has just 14 districts. It is high time to depute 90% of the priests and religious and seminarians to these 700 districts to help and do pastoral services and duties as these 700 districts do not have the basic infrastructure of evangelisation. These priests and religious and seminarians can function under the ageis of the local parish and diocese without any differences of rites and ritualistic nuances.
It is a fact that our Syro-Malabar church is facing the situation the community in Europe faced during Black Age.We are having a shortage of dedicated priests.Instead of guiding the faithful in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ many of them are running after positions and taking priesthood as a side business.
Let Holy Spirit prevail upon them and their authorities employing them or granting permission to accept works other than related to priesthood.
In Kerala chaldeanisation was the secret agenda from 1984 onwards and they have succeeded in getting the majority of bishops now on their side.
Here Jesus Christ or His teachings are not the focus of attention.Did He ever teach Liturgy? Wasn’t He a fighter against hypocrisy?
Very delighted to read this lucid article of a man I have met personnally several times and whom I admire for his bright mind and clear words. Unhealthy structures will not prevail forever, Anthony spoke of the European truck of self-destruction. I don’t lose confidence that something good will come out of this, the symbol of Shiva Nataraj comes into my mind here.
With prayers for the whole Church of India and especially for those suffering in and from this Church (including myself)
Bettina
I am a Syrian priest serving a Latin diocese for over 30 years
Grown up in syro-Malabar tradition, I have only added respect for the wealth of its spiritual tradition in spite of the recent evil sponsored miseries due to indisciplined and self centered revolutionary liberal clergy .
Having worked several years in Kerala, I am very familiar with the liberal Jesuit agenda with its bandwagon of followers.
Fr Pattery agenda does not surprise me. We are called and sent out for Evangelization. Social Action should be only one of many emerging facets of a true disciple of Jesus. Not the other way. All you were of Syrian origin but the liberal agenda turns you against such spiritually wealthy tradition.
Please reflect on the model of St Chavara’s social action and contemplation message.
Put Jesus first
Very timely article!
Why should we be so narrow minded as to divide what Christ has united by breaking down the walls between peoples, by dying on the cross, and make us all children of God!
Christ came to make all one people—Jews and gentiles.
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14)
Thank you Fr. Pattery, for your wisdom and audacity. Well articulated.
The syromalabar veterans are indeed abusing the privilege on the pretext of preserving the syromalabar traditions. It’s shameful to note how these so called veterans are hectically introducing the rite in the northern hemisphere of India where the believers are quite comfortable with the Latin rite. The newly elected bishop Thattil was patronatising the campaign as the agenda of the Shamsadabad Diocese.
Let us hope and pray that the new head of the Syro Malabar Church will consider this message which has all the hallmarks of being guided by the Holy Spirit. If heeded it could bring the Church to lasting harmony and back on the path of aligning more closely with the Universal Catholic Church, from which there have been considerable efforts over the past century to wean it away – guided not by spirituality but narrow minded parochialism and empire building aspirations.
I am a Syromalabar layman who lived the better part of my life in Latin parish in Chennai. As I am just about completing a house in my ancestral village of Karoor in Irinjalakuda diocese, seeing all that has been happening in the Syromalabar church, I have mostly decided not to join the Syromalabar parish, but to join a Latin parish.
Well-timed Fr. George. The new Major Archbishop has to make a choice between promoting a power-hungry, greedy, unethical/Un-christ-like, self-centred, irresponsible Church or its opposite in Kerala. If his choice goes wrong, the Kerala Syro-Church will be the first to follow the tested European track to self-destruction.
What we need today are not paranoid, other-religion-haters to cover up the failures of our own leaders, but leaders who value the fundamentally (Bible-driven) Constitutional principles of justice, liberty, fraternity ( Co-existence). If they don’t recognise it, the Fascist-monsters whom some of them appear to be feeding today, will chew them up too, perhaps using spoons and forks to behin with.
Based on practical learning it is an excellent article and very good turnback and reminders for the new head of the Syro Malabar Church. Hope he listens to the advice and changes tracks from it’s perilous journey.
A brilliant write up needed remainder to Christian leaders.
Dear George Pattery, your concern for the Syro-Malabar Church and the Universal Church is laudable.
Our thoughtfulness and A awareness, however, devoid of proper line of thoughts may not sound well. Howsoever scholarly and sensitive one would He, I think, you should have, even when you have the freedom, refrained from the usages like “misuse of privilege”, “colonizing expedition”, e.t.c.
The article is a brilliant and dispassionate dissection of the Syro-Malabar church and its all out attempt to `colonize’ the Catholic Church – both in India and also overseas. One of its biggest banes is the practice of endogamous marriage by the Knanaya community within the Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church. This group still does not accept those marrying from other Catholic dioceses, who they consider Catholics of impure blood.
The writer Fr George Pattery is a brilliant thinker. I had the good fortune of meeting him around 20 years ago at Parasmani Centre at Shantiniketan (West Bengal) which I visited along with my family at the invitation of Fr Joseph C. DeSouza, another brilliant but much under-utilized Jesuit brain. Fr Joe (as he is popularly known) was then posted at the Centre.
I will be very happy if Fr Pattery shares more such clinically analytical articles on the current socio-political scenario in India. What is his take on the the government’s latest assertion in the Supreme Court of India that Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is not and cannot be a university of any particular religion or religious denomination? In due course can this assertion have a spillover effect on minority institutes namely St Stephen’s College, New Delhi and St Xavier’s College & University too?
Instead of making big churches and showing extravaganza in celebrating Parish feasts and spending lakhs and lakhs on futile fireworks and illumination of churches, if each Parish is given one mission village center for each to educate, develope and spread the word of God, we could bring Jesus and his values much better and easier way. We should give more importance to the basic needs of education,food and housing for the poor and needy…..Every Parish to cater to one each mission village and there by bringing Jesus to more and more people…..
Prophetic words from Fr. George Pattery is just the need of the hour. Those who have ears, let them hear! Hats off to you. His article could be the agenda for the New Synod under the visionary leadership of Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil. We are glad and proud of our New Major Archbishop who has the wisdom and courage to lead the much divided Syrian Church. It’s high time we go beyond cultic priesthood and redundant practices and focus on the essentials of discipleship and the great mission Jesus has given to his Church. The challenge is to become mystics and prophets who would build genuine human communities. Let there be a new Pentecost and Revival. Fr. Davis George, Jabalpur.
Hope the new church leadership will take non-partisan stand with regard to liturgy practces. Pl uphold humanism, pluralism & ecumenism to the extent possible. Hope holy wisdom prevails in the church.
Very good write up..let the newly elected Major Arch Bishop of the powerful Syro Malabar Community in Kerala look into these problems on a warfioting basis and avoid unnecessary fights in the church
A good write-up, highlighting the ills of the syro-malabar Church. It is shocking that they are chanting the tune of Love-Jihad.
A thorough shake-up is needed in the Syro-Malabar Church Hierarchy. There are 2.35 million syro-malabar Christians in kerala.. the process of ‘educating’ the people against these injustices, needs to begin.
As always, an intelligent and pastoral advice to the new leadership..! I am sure your concerns will be taken seriously and positively. Thanks for your bold advice…! Often times the Church leaders stop learning and listen to sheep they are entrusted with!
Some of the religious congregations conduct trainings for their new leaders and there is on going meeting of regular sharing and learning of new and challenging issues, wonder how many Bishops and Religious leaders get such trainings. The on going formation is good for them too!
Deeply Distressed at what is taking over our Dear Syro Malabar Church, we pray our YEHOSHUA Intervenes and makes them his True.
Shocked…Truly shocked to read the above about Our Dear Syro- Malabar Catholic Community….We humbly pray YEHOSHUA HIMSELF RUSH TO THEIR AID AT ONCE AND TAKE THEM OVER TO HIS ECCLESIA….AMEN
Brilliant exhortation and much needed reminder to Christian leaders…
A timely fact projecting article! May it promote truly a Church which Christ intends!
Excellent article and very good reminders for the new head of the Syro Malabar Church. Hope he listens to the advice and changes tracks on it’s perilous journey.