KOCHI: A day after Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal Mar George Alenchery’s direction to bishops to ‘correct’ the dispensation given to churches and parishes, a section of priests from Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese on Saturday met metropolitan vicar Mar Antony Kariyil and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention to resolve the recent confusion regarding Holy Mass.
The priests submitted a written request stating that until the existing mode of mass facing the people is legitimised, they will not cooperate with the major archbishop and Syro-Malabar office at Mount St Thomas.
“It is our right to celebrate the mass in the same mode which we have been doing for the past 50 years. Hence, we demand that the mass verus populum (mass facing the people) be legitimised rather than being allowed as a dispensation. We the priests along with the faithful have decided that we will continue our struggle against the synod and the Oriental Congregation until this right is guaranteed and formally legitimised,” said Fr Sebastin Thaliyan, convener of Athirupatha Samrakshana Samithi, in the appeal submitted on Saturday.
After the visit to the Vatican, Mar Kariyil has issued a circular granting exemption to churches and parishes under the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese citing Canon 1538. Synod’s decision to implement the uniform mode of holy mass came into effect on November 28. The priest said in the memorandum that they will not compromise with the cardinal and the synod on the mode of celebrating the holy mass.
“When the synod tried to enforce its injudicious decision about the uniform mode of celebration of holy
qurbana upon this archdiocese, it was the timely intervention of Pope Francis that created an atmosphere of peace and harmony here. A conflicting situation was thus effectively averted when Mar Antony Kariyil was authorised by the Pope to make use of the provision of Canon 1538 to dispense with the synodal decision for good of the faithful,” memorandum stated.
“We earnestly request you to inform the Pope immediately about the latest volatile and anarchic situation created in our archdiocese by the major archbishop together with the Oriental Congregation. We, all priests and lay faithful, request archbishop Kariyil to take all necessary steps in consultation and obedience to the Pope to bring back peace and unity by getting the mass legitimised. We also request him to brief all the bishops of the synod that their attempt to enforce uniformity over unity is not only an utter failure, but also contrary to the will and instruction of Pope Francis,” the memorandum said.