KOCHI: Cardinal George Alencherry on Monday inaugurated the first summit of the 29th Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church through videoconferencing. An official statement issued by the church said the Cardinal appreciated the work of the religious amid these testing times of the pandemic. The statement also mentioned that as many as 235 deacons were ordained as priests in the church in 2020.
“The political and economic situation in the country is worrying and the Church’s priority should be to provide relief to the suffering,” Cardinal Alencherry said in the statement. In his address, he reminded that the priests, religious and the seminarians should lead Christ-centric life and should not let go of the spirituality even when they are executing various responsibilities within the church.
He also said bishops should be alert in ensuring discipline and purity of life of priests. The Cardinal thanked Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro, the former apostolic nuncio of India, who was transferred as the nuncio of Brazil. As many as 63 bishopare attending the synod, which will conclude on January 16.