KOCHI: Amid the widening rift between a section of priests and the Syro Malabar Church over the reinstatement of Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry with administrative powers, the Cardinal on Wednesday called for peace and composure among the priests and faithful. Cardinal Mar Alencherry was speaking on the occasion of the Syro Malabar Church Day, which falls on the feast of St Thomas, at an event held at St Thomas Mount, Kakkanad, on Wednesday.
The Cardinal exhorted the faithful to move forward together, drawing strength from the Holy Spirit, towards strengthening the Church. “All members of the Church are united with the power of the Holy Spirit and must, through their actions and words, contribute to strengthening the unity of the Church. They should endeavour to strengthen the Church in a spirit of love, brotherhood and unity, prayerfully and with the strength imbibed from the Holy Spirit,” said Cardinal Alencherry.
The Church’s services should develop and grow through love and brotherhood. Care should be taken that nothing that affects these is allowed to happen, he added. The Cardinal, who was accused in a land scam recently, was reinstated as the Archbishop of the Ernakulam-Angmaly Archdiocese by the Vatican, a decision which was not accepted by a majority of the priests of the archdiocese.
The priests, meanwhile, are firm in their stand that they will continue with their protest until a decision is taken by the Permanent Synod and responsible authorities. “The resolution we passed at the meeting held on Tuesday will be sent to the Permanent Synod and other authorities concerned. The parish councils in parishes belonging to the archdiocese will draft other resolutions so that the faithful also get an opportunity to submit their opinions. This will be sent to the Synod and the Nuncio in the Vatican,” said a senior priest of the Church.