KOCHI: In a new development in the row over the unification of Holy Mass, a statement issued on Monday by the Media Commission of the Syro Malabar Church has sparked an uproar. The Church’s statement said that the dioceses which have declared the exemptions would also be brought into the fold in the coming days, as Canon 1538 has been misinterpreted and used by some dioceses.
The Almaya Munnettam, laity organisation of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, protested, saying that it is another tactic of the Church to deprive them of the exemption they earned. The media commission issued the statement saying that the exemptions under 1538 of the canon law were temporary and regional. It said these dioceses would also come into the style of conducting the Mass followed by all other dioceses in the coming days.
Hopefully, the oriental congregation would be giving a clarity on the validity of “dispensations” given in certain dioceses, the church said in another statement.Meanwhile, representatives of the Almaya Munnettam said the statement issued by the Church’s Media Commission “has sowed the seeds of misunderstanding and it contains veiled threats”.
“The circular issued by the Media Commission lays bare their intention when it states that the congregation will explain the dispensations issued by certain dioceses. We will protest any deliberate attempts to sabotage the exemption that we received from the Holy See,” Binu John, general convenor of Almaya Munnettam.
“The circular that Archbishop Antony Kariyil, Metropolitan Vicar of Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, had sent to all faithful has ushered in a fresh breath of life for all people. It has given us the much-needed impetus to voice our concerns and stand united for the progressive approach the archdiocese has always adopted. However, we are concerned as there are initiatives from different dioceses to sabotage this order, ” said Binu.