CHENNAI, India (UCAN) -- Efforts are underway to bring reconciliation between protesting priests and their bishop in Tiruchirapalli diocese, based in Tamil Nadu state, southern India.

"Several reconciliatory efforts are taking place in the diocese to resolve the dispute between the priests who protested and the bishop," vicar general Father Thomas Paulsamy told UCA News on Aug. 26.

Three weeks earlier, on Aug. 5, a group of 16 priests held a protest fast in front of the bishop's residence with a coffin marked "Tiruchirapalli diocese." Local media gave the protest, during which the priests accused Bishop Antony Devotta of running the diocese in an "arbitrary manner," wide coverage.

The vicar general remarked that the overall feeling among the clergy is that some grievances of the protesting priests are "genuine," but their approach to air them was "unacceptable."

On Aug. 16, a special priests' senate meeting was held to discuss the protest and the issues it raised.

Usually, the local bishop presides over a priests' senate meeting. However, Bishop Devotta invited Archbishop Peter Fernando of Madurai to moderate the Aug. 16 meeting, which eight protesting priests attended.

Tiruchirapalli diocese, based in the city of the same name, 2,400 kilometers south of New Delhi, belongs to the Madurai ecclesiastical province.

The meeting addressed all issues the protesting priests raised, according to Father Paulsamy. "Policies on transfer of priests and other administration issues will be decided after dialogue, but within the guidelines laid down by the Vatican," he said.

The meeting also agreed on a statement about decisions made regarding the protests and other pending issues. Based on the statement, Bishop Devotta sent a circular that was read out in all parishes on Aug. 17.

The vicar general also said the senate has decided to convene a two-day meeting of all diocesan priests in November to resolve all pending issues. He said diocesan officials have asked all priests to submit a list of issues and grievances they want the meeting to address.

Father Paulsamy added that Bishop Devotta has invited the protesting priests to dialogue on "unresolved issues." Some senior priests also have planned to meet the protesting priests, he added.

Archbishop Fernando, chairperson of Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, noted a consensus among the senate members on the need to put past incidents behind and for local Church personnel to stop blaming each other for the troubles in the diocese. Reconciliation was on the agenda and the senate members were unanimous that there should be a peaceful atmosphere in the diocese, the senior prelate told UCA News.

Father Thomas Eugene, one of the protesting priests who attended the senate meeting, confirmed to UCA News that peace has returned to the diocese. "We hope to resolve all issues" at the upcoming priests' meeting in November, he said.

Father Eugene also said the protesting priests agreed to extend "our cooperation to settle all issues." He reported that the senate members decided to discuss all issues amicably and urged the disgruntled priests not to air their grievances in public.

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