The simmering rift within the Ernakulam - Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala, over the manner in which holy mass is offered, played out on Sunday in the form of protests and verbal clashes in various parishes.
Copies of a circular issued earlier this month by the Church, giving an ultimatum to priests to stick to the Synod-approved uniform mass format or else face expulsion, were set on fire, thrown into the trash bin and drowned in backwaters by a section of the laity and priests opposing the leadership.
According to the Synod-approved format, the priest must face the congregation only in the first and last parts of the liturgical service and turn towards the altar during the remaining duration of the mass as part of a 50:50 formula.
At Edappally, in front of the St George Church, while the faction backing the official leadership read out the circular, the rebel faction booed and raised slogans. Scuffles and sloganeering were reported in several parishes in the district.
On June 9, the Church, which has over 5 million adherents in the state and is one of the principal Catholic denominations, had asked for the circular to be read out in churches within the diocese on Sunday and for the instructions regarding uniform mass to be implemented strictly from July 3 onwards. Priests, who violate the ultimatum, will be barred from their duties and expelled from the Church, it had warned.
{{/usCountry}}On June 9, the Church, which has over 5 million adherents in the state and is one of the principal Catholic denominations, had asked for the circular to be read out in churches within the diocese on Sunday and for the instructions regarding uniform mass to be implemented strictly from July 3 onwards. Priests, who violate the ultimatum, will be barred from their duties and expelled from the Church, it had warned.
{{/usCountry}}Almaya Munnettam, a laity group opposed to the Synod-approved uniform mass format supported by several priests within the diocese, said the circular wasn’t read out in 321 churches where mass is offered by the celebrant in the traditional format where the priest faces the faithful at all times.
“Over 450 priests and all parish committees within the Ernakulam - Angamaly archdiocese have stated multiple times before the Synod and the Vatican that they will only offer mass where the priest faces the congregation throughout the ritual. But the Church leadership has never considered the stand of the diocese or intervened to find a solution and instead has always tried to impose its agenda. Today’s protests show that the laity and priests in the diocese are ready to defend their position,” said Riju Kanjookaran, spokesperson of the Almaya Munnettam.