- Rev. Fr. Prem Thomas Choorackal, CMI
Introduction
The papal inauguration of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on May 18, 2025, has evoked both great hope and deep introspection across the universal Church. Among the most vocal respondents have been leaders within the Syro-Malabar Church, many of whom swiftly claimed the Pope’s emphasis on love and unity as an implicit affirmation of the Synodal path they have charted. Yet, this enthusiasm often obscures a painful contradiction: while the Pope’s message calls the whole Church to communion grounded in agapic love, many of those praising his words are yet to embrace this love within their own ecclesial communities.
As Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis remarked in a candid online interview, “How can the Pope bring a solution to the problems already made by us? It is not his fault.” His honesty highlights a crucial truth: the Syro-Malabar Church’s liturgical and pastoral crisis is not Rome’s imposition, but one born within. Pope Francis, of blessed memory, reportedly misled by false reports, manipulated narratives, and initially refrained from direct intervention, respecting the autonomy of the Eastern Churches. However, pressure from vested interests eventually drew him into the conflict, leaving behind deep scars and an atmosphere of confusion and hurt.
The Eucharist, as Vatican II taught, is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, 11). It cannot become the cause of schism. To fight over its form without embracing its spirit is to turn the altar into a battleground. What is at stake is not merely a liturgical rubric but the witness of communion to a fractured world, especially for young adults.
Now, Pope Leo XIV stands before a divided Church with a motto that is both courageous and theologically rich: In One We Are One. His inaugural homily does not merely gesture toward ideals but invites concrete conversion, calling the Church to unity, not through control, but through charity. His challenge is timely: Will the Syro-Malabar Synod respond to this call, not with institutional defensiveness, but with evangelical humility?
This reflection seeks to read Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural message as a pastoral lens for understanding the ongoing crisis in the Syro-Malabar Church. If, as the Pope insists, “this is the hour for love,” then it is equally the hour for courage, conversion, and ecclesial honesty.
A Church Restless for Love
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV drew from the deep wells of Scripture and Patristic thought, invoking the words of St. Augustine: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (Confessions, I,1,1). He described the Petrine ministry as a service rooted not in authority alone, but in “self-sacrificing love” modelled on Christ, the true cornerstone of the Church (cf. Acts 4:11). The new pontiff declared: “With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary Church… a leaven of harmony for humanity.”
These words resonate far beyond Vatican City. For the Syro-Malabar Church, currently marred by division over liturgical norms, they serve as both an indictment and an invitation. The call to be a “leaven of harmony” becomes meaningless unless the Church itself is healed from within.
The Syro-Malabar Liturgical Conflict: A Wound Within
The Syro-Malabar Church, one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome, traces its origins to the apostolic witness of St. Thomas in India. Yet, in recent years, it has been deeply divided over liturgical uniformity, particularly the Synodal decision requiring a specific mode of celebrating the Holy Qurbana, with the celebrant facing ad orientem during the Eucharistic Prayer.
The Syro-Malabar Church stands at a spiritual and historical crossroads. Pope Leo XIV has laid before it a pastoral compass, not a political decree. His words—In One We Are One—are not only a motto, but a mandate.
The Church must decide: Will it choose ecclesial maturity over mere majority? Will it listen to the Spirit’s call, echoed by Peter’s successor, to be a community “restless with love”? Or will it harden itself into irreconcilable factions, losing its missionary heart?
While framed as a move toward unity, this liturgical mandate has produced division rather than communion. In the Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, priests and laity alike have resisted what they perceive as an imposition that disregards pastoral context and conscience. In response, some factions have resorted to polemics, online campaigns, and even the suspension of public liturgies. The once-celebrated synodal spirit now risks devolving into institutionalized polarization.
Pope Leo XIV, without naming specific controversies, prophetically addressed such tendencies when he said: “It is never a question of capturing others by force… Instead, it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did.” This statement should echo like thunder within the Syro-Malabar hierarchy. For what began as a liturgical question has revealed deeper ecclesiological concerns: What kind of unity are we building? Is it rooted in communion or control?
Synodality Requires Conversion
Pope Leo XIV redefined ecclesial leadership through the image of Peter, fragile, fallen, yet restored through love. He reminded the Church that Peter’s authority is credible only because it is cruciform: “Only if you have known and experienced this love of God, which never fails, will you be able to feed my lambs.”
This model critiques both authoritarian enforcement and uncharitable resistance. True synodality, as Pope Francis repeatedly taught, must involve genuine listening, discernment, and the humility to change direction when necessary (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 33). Leo XIV echoed this in his affirmation that the Church is made up of “living stones” (1 Pet 2:5), not just policies and structures.
If the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church has failed to account for the legitimate concerns of its faithful, particularly in Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, then the Pope’s homily becomes a moment of kairos: a chance to reconsider, repent, and renew. Liturgical unity must not come at the cost of ecclesial communion.
A Catholic Vision of Unity
The temptation to treat unity as uniformity is a perennial danger. But the Catholic tradition, especially in its Eastern expressions, has always celebrated a rich liturgical plurality. Pope Leo XIV’s vision aligns with this inheritance when he said: “We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity that does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.”
The Eucharist, as Vatican II taught, is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, 11). It cannot become the cause of schism. To fight over its form without embracing its spirit is to turn the altar into a battleground. What is at stake is not merely a liturgical rubric but the witness of communion to a fractured world, especially for young adults.
The Restlessness That Heals
In perhaps the most moving passage of his homily, Pope Leo XIV called the Church to a “restlessness” not of rebellion but of love. He urged: “Let us walk towards God and love one another.” Such restlessness should inspire the Syro-Malabar Church to move beyond entrenched positions and political manoeuvring. It should move bishops to be shepherds, not enforcers; priests to be reconciled, not reactive; and the laity to be builders of communion, not consumers of conflict. This is the hour for love, not just sentimental affection, but the crucified love that seeks the other, even at great cost.
Conclusion: The Path Forward
The Syro-Malabar Church stands at a spiritual and historical crossroads. Pope Leo XIV has laid before it a pastoral compass, not a political decree. His words—In One We Are One—are not only a motto, but a mandate.
The Church must decide: Will it choose ecclesial maturity over mere majority? Will it listen to the Spirit’s call, echoed by Peter’s successor, to be a community “restless with love”? Or will it harden itself into irreconcilable factions, losing its missionary heart?
True unity will not emerge from Rome’s directives or local petitions alone. It will rise only when the Church rediscovers itself as a Eucharistic community, broken yet blessed, wounded yet reconciled.
If Pope Leo XIV’s homily becomes more than a ceremonial address, if it is received as a call to conversion, then even the present crisis may be transformed into a new Pentecost. For this truly is the hour for love.
