Divided over Mass –the Syro-Malabar way

There was no midnight Mass to ring in Christmas at a cathedral-basilica under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church as it was sealed following clashes between priests and laity. Nearly 29 Catholics, most of them men, are accused of desecrating the consecrated wine and bread and the majority of priests and laity in an archeparchy continue to defy the hierarchy.

The nearly five-decade-old liturgical dispute in the India-based Eastern Church is continuing with no end in sight in the near future. 

The supercharged liturgical dispute in the second-largest of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome, has seen street burning of cardinals’ effigies, hunger-strikes, and street fights and fisticuffs.

Second to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in numbers with 5 million followers world-wide, the southern India-based Syro-Malabar Church reportedly traces its origins to St. Thomas the Apostle and has 35 dioceses, including those in Chicago in the US, Melbourne in Australia, Britain and Canada.

The row is mainly centered around the Syro-Malabar Church Synod - the highest decision-making body of the southern India-based church -- approved Mass that requires priests to face the congregation until the Eucharistic prayer and after communion. 

All the dioceses save the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, which is the Primatal See and the largest in the Syro-Malabar Church, have implemented the synod-approved Mass known as Holy Qurbana.

In March, laypeople opposed to the synodal Mass, which got the nod in August 2021, took to the streets to set fire to effigies of Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Eastern Churches, and Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, in Kochi, its headquarters.

On July 30, 2022, the Vatican appointed Archbishop Andrews Thazhath as the apostolic administrator of the archeparchy after accepting the resignation of Archbishop Antony Kariyil, who had a soft corner for the laity and priests.

Archbishop Thazhath came with the mandate to end the liturgical row, but he failed in his mission after more than 5,00,000 believers and 460 priests in the archeparchy decided to boycott him because he unilaterally insisted on priests to follow the synodal mode. 

They, in turn, vowed not to allow the prelate to enter any church in the archdiocese and resorted to hunger-strikes.

On November 27, 2022, things took a worse turn and Archbishop Thazhath was forcibly prevented from entering St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Kochi to offer the Synodal Mass on Sunday.

Those opposing the archbishop locked the gate to prevent his entry. Police, accompanying the archbishop, advised him against stepping out of the car. After a 10-minute wait, Archbishop Thazhath returned with police and supporters in toe.

Again, the warring factions clashed on December 23 and damaged church properties, leading to the police entering the cathedral-basilica to maintain peace.

A group of 29 Catholics were accused of desecrating the consecrated bread and wine when priests were celebrating traditional Mass.

The Vatican is probing “desecration and sacrilege” of the altar under retired Archbishop Maria Callist Soosa Pakiam of Trivandrum. Along with retired Bishop Stanley Roman of Quilon, Archbishop Pakiam concluded his fact-finding mission in February.

Currently, a five-member bishops’ delegation from the Syro-Malabar Church is holding talks with priests and laity.

But the bone of contention is that they are demanding the removal of Archbishop Thazhath, an expert in the Oriental Code of Canon Law, and reinstatement of Archbishop Kariyil, who was appointed metropolitan vicar of the resourceful archeparchy in August 2019 as priests and laity demanded the resignation of Cardinal Alencherry, following his alleged links to Church land deals, causing a loss of $10 million to the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archeparchy.

The synod had taken a similar decision in 1999 but it was shelved due to opposition from bishops from several dioceses.