The Kerala High Court has ordered the state police to provide protection to the Vatican-appointed administrator of a strife-torn archdiocese in the southern Indian state.
The apex court in Kerala on December 5 ordered police protection for Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the apostolic admini-strator of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in response to the prelate’s petition.
The prelate’s petition has stated that he fears for his life especially from Father Sebastian Thalian, convener of the Arch-diocesan Protection Committee and Riju Davis, secretary of the Archdiocesan Move-ment for Transparency (ATM), and added them as respondents.
The court also sought replies from the duo and the matter was posted for hearing on December 8.
The prelate has also sought an order from the High Court for his free access to the Archbishop’s House and the St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica where he is denied entry by the priests and laity who oppose the Synod approved uniform mode of Mass.
On the contrary, the priests and the people in the archdiocese want to continue with the mode they have followed for more than six decades where the priest faces the congre-gation throughout the Mass.
The court ordered the police to help the archbishop access the Archbishop’s House and the cathedral. It also ordered the police to remove those inside the Archbishop’s House.
The priests and people of the archdiocese have been camping inside the Archbishop’s House since November 21 and denied Arch-bishop Thazhath’s entry. The archbishop had asked the cathedral vicar to facilitate him to offer the Synod Mass on November 27.