More than five-decades-old dispute in Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese has seen public rallies and the closure of a cathedral
Catholics from Eastern-rite Syro-Malabar Church, based in southern Kerala state in India, demonstrate with placards during the general audience of Pope Francis in the Vatican on Oct. 5 demanding to allow their priests to say Mass facing the people. (Photo: Supplied)
A body of Catholic laity and priests has welcomed the decision of an India-based Eastern rite to seek the appointment of a papal delegate to settle their five-decade-old liturgy dispute after the bishops failed to reach a consensus.
Cardinal George Alencherry, the head of the Sryo-Malabar Church announced the decision at the end of a four-day special Synod of Bishops held at the Church’s headquarters based in Kerala state in southern India.
The Church’s 56 bishops attend the June 12-16 special Synod of the Church, following Vatican’s instruction to settle the dispute amicably. The synod, however, failed and recommended to the Vatican to appoint a Papal delegate to find a way out.
“This is exactly what we have been asking for in the past five years but the bishops did not want to listen to us,” said Riju Kanjookaran, the spokesperson of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT), a group of priests, religious and lay people in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.
“We are happy that at least now the bishops agreed with one of our demands,” Kanjookaran told UCA News on June 19.
The Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese with more than half a million faithful has been at loggerhead with the Synod, the Church’s supreme decision-making body over liturgy.
The liturgy dispute has been simmering in the Church since the 1970s with one group wanting to revive the liturgy in its pristine purity and another group demanding revision on modern lines.
The traditionalist wanted priests to face the altar throughout the Eucharistic celebration, while the modernist wanted them to face the congregation.
After years of research and study, in 1999 the synod approved an order of the Mass as a compromise accommodating both demands. Accordingly, the synod-approved Mass directed priests to turn to the altar during Eucharistic prayer and face people for the rest of the mass.
But the Synod-approved Mass could not be implemented following opposition from priests and laity in many dioceses.
In August 2021, all 35 dioceses were asked to adopt the synod-approved Mass to bring about unity of liturgical celebration in the Church.
Some 10 dioceses including the Ernakulam- Angamaly Archdiocese, the seat of Cardinal Alencherry opposed the Synod Mass. However, by 2022 all dioceses, except Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, adopted the synod-approved Mass.
Priests and a large section of the laity in Ernakulam-Angamaly say they want the priests to face people throughout the Eucharistic celebration.
They also resorted to public rallies, hunger strikes, and other forms of protests and asserted that they would not allow the Synod Mass to be celebrated in the Archdiocese.
The St. Mary’s Basilica, the Cathedral of the archdiocese, was shut down on the eve of Christmas 2022 because of physical violence inside it caused by the dispute.
The latest Synod agreed to open the Cathedral and allowed all sacraments and prayers but insisted that only Synod-approved Mass can be offered there.
But priests and laity of the archdiocese said they would not allow Synod Mass in the Cathedral and the stalemate continued over the opening of the Cathedral as well.
“We are hopeful that the Vatican will act immediately upon the recommendation of the Synod, as the special Synod was held following direction from the Vatican,” Kanjookarn said.
Kanjookaran also cautioned his Church’s bishops against any attempt to influence the Papal delegate.
“Any such move would not be tolerated," he said.
The priests and people would not compromise on their demand, he added.
Cardinal Alencherry also dismissed the news about dividing the Archdiocese as rumors and appealed to the people to pray for a permanent solution to the dispute.
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