KOCHI: The Vatican on Thursday issued a stern warning to priests who oppose the implementation of uniformity in celebrating Holy Mass in churches under the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, and said disobedience will invite canonical punishment.
In a hard-hitting letter addressing priests in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archeparchy, Pontifical Delegate Archbishop Cyril Vasil directed them to practice the Synod-approved Holy Mass celebration from August 20 and said any disobedience to this order would be considered "voluntary, personal, and culpable disobedience to the Holy Father."
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is one of the 22 Eastern Oriental Churches in full communion with the Pope.
The Church Synod introduced a uniform way of celebrating Holy Mass in August 2021.
According to it, the priest celebrating the Holy Mass faces the faithful in its first and last parts.
The priests turn towards the altar for the rest of the Mass.
While all other dioceses under the Syro-Malabar adopted the synod-approved Holy Mass, the majority of the priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, supported by their laity, opposed it, saying that they could not depart from the traditional way of celebrating Mass with the priest facing the faithful.
The archbishop shot off the letter two days after a section of laity and priests, who oppose the unified mass, stopped him at the gate of St Mary's Basilica here and staged a protest on August 15.
Vasil was appointed by the Vatican to address and resolve the ongoing conflict over the unified mass in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, where discontent has been brewing for some time among a significant section of priests, nuns, and laity over the synodal decision to "impose" uniformity in celebrating the Holy Mass in churches under its control.
"...It is hereby intimidated to each of you personally that non-compliance with this direction will inevitably invite further disciplinary actions," the letter said.
However, the Pontifical Delegate made it clear that if any individual finds it any difficulty to celebrate the Holy Mass according to the synodal decision due to intimidation, threats of physical violence and so on, there is no need to conduct any public celebration until a conducive situation arises.
He also ordered that the letter of Pope Francis regarding the celebration be read out on August 20 in all parish churches, filial churches, and all other institutions under the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese where Sunday Qurbana is celebrated.
After executing the order, the priests should send a letter to the chancellor of the Archeparchial Curia of the Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese confirming the reading, which should be attested by the parish priest, the assistant parish priest, if any, and other representatives of the parish council, it said.
Any disobedience to this order is an act of impeding the right of the Holy Father to communicate with the people of God, which will be considered a "serious delict" against the Holy Father with subsequent canonical penal sanctions, Vasil warned.
"I hereby warn you that any negligence to fulfil this order will invite canonical punishment as prescribed in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches," he said in the letter.
The Pontifical Delegate also urged the priests to think seriously over the pledge of obedience taken at the time of their sacred ordination.
Obeying of legitimate authority by the priests would set a good example before the faithful, he added.