KOCHI (UCAN): A dispute over the liturgy of the Mass [Qurbana] continues in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, in Kerala, India, as rebellious clergy tried to minimise the directive of Pope Francis to end the division that has wracked this particular archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The pope, by communiqué and direct video message, urged them to follow the rubrics as set out by the Church’s synod in 2021 and set December 25 as the deadline to comply with the order. Failure might lead to excommunication, he had warned. The dispute dates back to the 1970s when the liturgy was reformed following the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. One group wanted to renew the liturgy on modern lines, while the other wanted to restore it to its ancient rubrics.
Almost all 328 parishes of the Ernakulam-Angamaly offered one Mass on the morning of Christmas Day following the rubrics approved by the Church’s synod. However, priests—particularly those associated with the Archdiocesan Moment for Transparency [AMT], refused to continue unless certain conditions were fulfilled.
“Every parish celebrated one [official] Synod Mass as instructed by the pope,” said Riju Kanjookaran, the spokesperson of AMT which has spearheaded the protest against the official Mass that calls for celebrants to face the altar rather than the congregation during Eucharistic prayer.
He claimed that Catholics in some 290 parishes did not allow their priests to follow the official liturgy, or what they call Synod-Mass, for the Midnight Christmas Mass.
We allowed our priests to celebrate one Synod Mass as a mark of respect to Pope Francis… This, however, does not mean that our archdiocese has adopted the Synod Mass. There will not be any Synod Mass in our Churches from now on
Riju Kanjookaran
“We allowed our priests to celebrate one Synod Mass as a mark of respect to Pope Francis,” Kanjookaran said on December 26, adding, “This, however, does not mean that our archdiocese has adopted the Synod Mass. There will not be any Synod Mass in our Churches from now on.”
Observers said that priests complied with the papal order as a token to escape punishment, but the crisis continued as it evaded a solution.
Representatives of the priests and laity insist that they want the Vatican to approve a deal they agreed to with the Jesuit Archbishop Cyril Vasil of Slovakia, the pontifical delegate who visited Kerala in August to find a settlement to the dispute.
Archbishop Vasil’s first visit came to nothing, but he returned again on December 13 for discussions with all stakeholders and prepared a Memorandum of Understanding for a final settlement, but left on December 20 without signing it. AMT claims he was following directions from a Vatican office.
The dispute led to the resignation of George Cardinal Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church and Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, apostolic administrator of Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly on December 7
The 12-point deal includes one Synod Mass in the archdiocesan Cathedral Church on Sundays, occasional Synod Mass in the minor seminary, and regular Synod Mass in pilgrimage centres.
The deal also agreed that the pastoral situation is not conducive in the archdiocese for imposing the Synod Mass. Therefore the dispensation is allowed to continue with their traditional Mass as an immediate solution to end the dispute.
The AMT insists that agreeing to this deal is the only way to end the mess.
An official of the Syro-Malabar Church, who requested anonymity, also said that “as of now the Church has no official statement” on the issue. “Please wait for more clarity into the situation,” he said.
The dispute led to the resignation of George Cardinal Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church and Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, apostolic administrator of Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly on December 7.
