KOCHI: The elevation of Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad as cardinal was a pleasant surprise for the Kerala Catholic Church, making him the first Catholic priest from India promoted directly to the position. The move also had other peculiarities for the Syro-Malabar Church.
When the 51-year-old Koovakad joined 21 priests from around the world, who were inducted into the College of Cardinals on Saturday at the St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the omission of Syro-Malabar Church head Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil stood out.
This is perhaps for the first time that the Holy See is breaking the tradition of elevating the head of the Syro-Malabar Church when a large number of cardinals are ordained after a new Major Archbishop has taken charge.
Raphael Thattil was made the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, the largest Eastern Catholic Church, in January this year. His predecessors -- Mar JosephParekattil (1969), Mar Antony Padiyara (1988), Mar Varkey Vithayathil (2001) and Mar George Alencherry (2012) -- were all ordained cardinals.
Church observers, however, said the reason for Major Archbishop Thattil not being elevated to the position of cardinal could be the presence of Major Archbishop Emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal Mar George Alencherry who, at 79, is eligible to vote to elect a new Pope.
Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a pope. With Saturday’s additions, Pope Francis has picked 110 cardinals -- of a total of 140 -- under the age of 80, who are eligible to vote in a conclave. Major Archbishop Thattil is 68 and can be inducted in the coming years, maybe as soon as Cardinal Alencherry crosses the age of 80, said an observer.
A church expert said there has been some deviation from tradition under Pope Francis. For instance, a similar break from tradition was seen in the case of the Ukrainian Church, which is considered to be the third-largest Catholic Church after the Syro-Malabar Church. The speculation is that the deviation from the tradition of appointing the major archbishops and cardinals in both churches happened due to certain issues.
“In the case of the Ukrainian Church, it was associated with the hurdles it created in the merger of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Catholic Church. However, 44-year-old Mykola Bychok, an Ukrainian national who was serving as a bishop in Australia, was ordained cardinal. In the case of the Syro-Malabar Church, two issues might have led to such a decision.
One was the move to become a patriarchate and the second one is associated with the implementation of the Unified Holy Mass,” the church expert said. However, Fr Paul Thelakat, former spokesperson of the Syro-Malabar Church, told TNIE: “First of all, it is the choice of the Pope. Pope Francis opted to promote his man in charge of organising his foreign visits to the rank. I do not in any way connect this appointment with the Syro-Malabar Church or its problems here.”
According to him, the Pope opts to nominate men from the peripheries. “He makes the last and the least important. Pope Francis has made it a point to elevate churchmen from far-flung to the close advisory role of cardinals, especially if they have a reputation for a pastoral presence among their people.
He didn’t make the Ukrainian Major Archbishop cardinal, instead an auxiliary of the same church in Australia was made cardinal. The archbishops of Los Angeles and Philadelphia are not cardinals but a bishop from Mongolia where there are only a few Catholics is made a cardinal,” Fr Thelakat said.
This shows the Pope’s penchant to shake up the church by his appointments, he said. “It has led to innovations and greater fraternity. He also likes to have his policies continued with in the church even after him,” Fr Thelakat said.
Another deviation from the tradition has been the ceremonial caps worn by the two new cardinals from the Eastern Catholic Churches. While Cardinal Bychok wore a traditional Kyivan robe, Cardinal Koovakad wore the traditional Syro-Malabar robes (said to be a takeaway from the Chaldean attire) including the red and black biretta.
As per Fr Thelakat, only Cardinal Koovakad can answer why he wore a different cap. “The cardinal’s position is a Latin title which has its insignia.
However, the Pope decided to include orientals too in the College of Cardinals. It should be noted that the former major archbishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, including Cardinal Antony Padiyara, received the same insignia as Latin cardinals.
The major archbishop of the Chaldean Church, from which the Syro-Malabar Church originated, also received the traditional Latin insignia. So, why a different cap for the new cardinal? Cardinal Koovakad looks like having a misplaced sense of identity,” Fr Thelakat said.
However, according to experts, the attire, along with the fact that he is from Changanassery, might be a show of the clout the group enjoys in the church.