Papal delegate Jesuit Archbishop Cyril Vasil arrived in Kochi on December 13, a week after Pope Francis personally intervened in the vexing liturgical dispute in the Syro-Malabar Church’s Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese.
Archbishop Vasil was received at 8 am in the Kochi International Airport by a team led by Bishop Emeritus Bosco Puthur of Melbourne, the temporary apostolic administrator of the troubled archdiocese.
This is the second time Archbishop Vasil is visiting the southern Indian state of Kerala to resolve the decades-old liturgical dispute. His earlier two-week visit that ended August 21 had left the fate of more than 400 priests uncertain for defying his ultimatum to offer Masses on August 20 in the synod-approved mode in all parishes and institutions in the archdiocese.
He had apparently alienated the majority of the priests and lay people in the archdiocese by his insistence on implementing the uniform method of celebrating Mass.
Archbishop Vasil’s latest visit takes place after Pope Francis on December 7 accepted the resignations Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, and Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur from the post of apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, a demand made by the dissidents.
However, the Pope, through a video message, asked the priests of the arch-diocese to celebrate the uniform mode of Mass from Christ-mas eve. The Pope also pleaded with them not to divide the ancient Church or create another sect.
He then appoint-ed Bishop Sebastian Vaniyapurackal to function as the administrator of the Syro-Malabar Church, and Bishop Puthur the temporary administrator of the arch-diocese.
The major archbishop is to be elected at the bishops’ synod in January.
Archbishop Vasil’s engagements in Kochi are kept under wraps, although he was expected to meet groups of priests on the day of his arrival.