Catholics get ready for Mass in a church in Kochi, Kerala state, the base of the Syro-Malabar Church. (Photo: UCA News)
A group of Catholics in the southern Indian state of Kerala burned effigies of Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Eastern-rite Syro-Malabar Church, to protest their stand on the five-decade-old liturgy dispute.
The protesters also called for a total boycott of Cardinal Alencherry even as church officials called for punitive action against those involved in burning the effigies. The media commission of the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church termed it as an open challenge to the Church and the pope.
Father Alex Onampally, secretary of the media commission, said in a March 17 statement that “actions would be taken against those involved in burning effigies of cardinals as per the provisions of the Canon Laws.”
The fresh protests against the cardinals broke out following their approval of a uniform Mass, ignoring a demand from laity and priests from the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly to allow them to celebrate Mass facing the congregation throughout. The archdiocese is the second-largest diocese in India with a Catholic population of close to 500,000.
The Syro-Malabar synod of bishops in August 2021 decided to follow a uniform liturgy in all its 35 dioceses in India and abroad and granted time until April 17, 2022, to fully comply with its order.
The synod decision was just a reinforcement of its stand on the liturgy adopted by it in 1999. Accordingly, all priests “will face the congregation until the Eucharistic prayer, and then again from communion to the end of the Mass. From Eucharistic prayers until communion, the priest will face the altar.”
They refused to compromise and asked the synod to grant legitimacy to their way of celebrating Mass even as the other 34 dioceses agreed to follow the new order
However, the 1999 synod decision could not be implemented in all dioceses then due to widespread opposition. Catholic laity and priests in Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, the seat of power of Cardinal Alencherry, opposed it and insisted on continuing with the priest facing congregation throughout the Mass.
They refused to compromise and asked the synod to grant legitimacy to their way of celebrating Mass even as the other 34 dioceses agreed to follow the new order.
After priests and laity joined together and staged public protests including a hunger strike against the synod decision, Archbishop Antony Kariyil, the metropolitan vicar of Ernakulam-Angamaly, granted dispensation to the diocese after consultation with the Vatican including Cardinal Sandri.
Cardinal Sandri, however, in his latest communication on Feb. 28 backed the decision of the synod, asserting that “liturgical laws enacted by the synod have the force of law everywhere in the world.”
Cardinal Alencherry released Cardinal Sandri's letter to the bishops, priests and the laity on Mar. 11 and urged everyone to follow the synod, apparently with an intention to settle the dispute once and for all.
They also urged Archbishop Kariyil and the Vatican to approve their mode of celebrating Mass as a liturgical variant and grant approval to it rather than forcing the synod Mass on them
Cardinal Sandri also ordered Archbishop Kariyil to revoke the dispensation given to the archdiocese on the plea that the prelate had no such right to grant dispensation to an entire diocese.
Besides this, Cardinal Sandri also attempted to curtail the power of Archbishop Kariyil by ordering him to consult Cardinal Alencherry on the issue of dispensation, thus enraging the laity and priests in the archdiocese.
Over 300 priests from Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese held a six-and-half-hour meeting at the Archdiocesan Renewal Centre in Kalloor in in Kerala state under the leadership of Archbishop Kariyil and passed a unanimous resolution against revoking the dispensation given to the archdiocese.
They also urged Archbishop Kariyil and the Vatican to approve their mode of celebrating Mass as a liturgical variant and grant approval to it rather than forcing the synod Mass on them.
The resolution also said any attempt to revoke the dispensation would lead to further conflicts in parishes and urged Archbishop Kariyil to personally call on Pope Francis and apprise him of the situation.
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