The Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church in southern India has initiated a dialogue process to resolve a decades-old liturgical dispute that has led to division and conflict between its hierarchy and the priests and laity.
A five-member delegation of bishops led by Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry held pro-longed closed-door discussions with representatives of the priests and laity of Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, who have been on a warpath over the mode of celebrating Mass in the southern state of Kerala, on Jan 10.
A majority of priests and lay-people in the archdiocese, which is the seat of power of the Church’s Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry, want to continue with the traditional mode wherein the priests say Mass facing the congregation. They refuse to accept the synod-app-roved form, in which the celebrant has to face the altar during the Eucharist.
“The initial talks were successful barring few contentious issues,” a Church source, who did not want to be named, told.
The contentious issues he mentioned include the demand for the removal of Apostolic Administrator Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, and reinstatement of the former Metropolitan Vicar Archbishop Antony Kariyil, besides allowing visiting bishops and priests to offer the synod-approved Mass in the archdiocese.