KOCHI: The post-Synod circular issued by Cardinal George Alencherry said except Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, all other 34 dioceses complied with the new format of the Holy Mass. The Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church directed the archdiocese to implement the uniform mode of the Holy Mass.
The circular issued by head of the Syro-Malabar Church on Sunday also said that Metropolitan Vicar of the archdiocese Mar Antony Kariyil has informed the Synod that he will issue a circular demanding to implement the unified mass in the archdiocese.
"Everyone should be careful not to fall into the trap of powers that are against the Church which intend to convert the differences of opinion on the Holy Mass into a street riot," the circular said.
The metropolitan vicar of the archdiocese will issue the circular seeking the implementation of the new format of the Holy Mass on January 23. In the circular, the Synod of bishops has urged the clergy, priests, and laity to abandon their compulsive intellects and practise the unified system prescribed by the Apostolic See and the Synod of the Church.
Meanwhile, the hunger strike by a section of priests and laity at the Ernakulam Bishops' House is ongoing. Though the priest representatives of the archdiocese submitted a memorandum to the Synod seeking a permanent exemption from implementing the new mode of the Holy Mass, it yielded no positive result.
Earlier, the Church had issued a statement that it had received a clarification letter from the Oriental Congregation in Rome on Friday which stated that an entire archdiocese could not be given exemption from implementing the liturgical rules approved by the Synod.
"The letter from the Oriental Congregation of Churches in Rome clearly stated that as per canon 1538, the metropolitan vicar cannot grant exemption -- which was given on November 27 -- to the whole archdiocese," said the post-Synod circular.
The complete transformation of the Holy Mass, in the new format, will be in place by Easter Sunday this year. The first session of the 30th Synod of the Church concluded on Saturday at Mount St Thomas, Kakkanad, headquarters of the Church.