Catholic priests in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, Kerala, India have called off their four-day protest after Archbishop Joseph Pamplany agreed to hold dialogue to resolve their demands regarding the liturgy dispute.
Catholic priests in the troubled Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of an Indian Church have called off a four-day protest after assurance of dialogue to resolve their demands amid a raging decades-old liturgy dispute on the rubrics of Mass. The temporary truce within the Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church , based in southern Kerala state, was reached on Jan. 13. \The protesting priests were hoping for a settlement of the liturgy dispute at the Synod of Bishops, which was held from Jan. 6 to 11.
On Jan. 9, some 21 priests entered the Archbishop’s house to press their demands. However, the police evicted them on Jan. 11 and moved them to the adjacent compound of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica. \“The protest was called off after the new vicar, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, agreed to consider our demands and hold dialogue to resolve them,” said Father Kuriakose Mundadan, the presbytery council secretary of the troubled Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly Nearly 12 priests sustained injuries, including fractures, in the police action, leading to public protests by priests, nuns, and laypeople in the archdiocese on Jan. 12. \“They demanded action against policed officials for their barbaric actions,” Mundadan told UCA News on Jan. 13. When the situation escalated, the district collector convened a meeting with church officials and the protesters late on Jan. 12. The Church authorities deputed Vicar General Father Jacob G Palakkappilly for the meeting, but the protesters refused to speak to him, saying he did not have the mandate to take a decision. Instead, they insisted on holding talks in the presence of Pamplany, the newly-appointed vicar of the archdiocese and the Archbishop of Tellicherry in Kerala state. \Collector, the district's top government official, contacted Pamplany, who was traveling but was asked to abort the journey midway. He joined the talks around 10.30 in the night. The discussions continued until 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 13, when Pamplany agreed in writing to consider the protesting priests’ demands, which included setting up canonical bodies in the archdiocese, considering the appointment of new curia, and halting all disciplinary actions initiated against them. The prelate also agreed to begin a dialogue with the priests and lay leaders over all the pending issues, including the liturgy dispute, from Jan. 20. \Father Antony Vadakkekara, the Church's spokesperson, confirmed that a temporary truce had been reached at the meeting. “The protest is called off, and dialogue will be held to resolve all pending issues in the archdiocese,” the Vincentian priest told UCA News. \Pampalany was appointed the vicar of Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, the head of the Syro-Malabar Church, at the just concluded synod. His appointment was announced after Bishop Bosco Puthur, who ran the archdiocese as its apostolic administration since December 2023, resigned. The priests and laity boycotted Puthur and his curia as differences escalated over the liturgy dispute last year. An official release said the archdiocese will continue to be controlled by the pontifical delegate, Archbishop Cyril Vasil. Vasil is a Slovak Jesuit prelate who has served as Eparch of Košice in the Slovak Greek Catholic Church since June 2021. \“The prelate has assured us that the Archbishop’s house will be opened for the general public before Jan. 20 and police presence there will be withdrawn,” said Riju Kanjookaran, the spokesperson of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT), a body of priest, religious and laity which is spearheading the protest against the synod approved uniform mode of Mass. \The official Mass requires the celebrant to face the altar during Eucharistic prayer. However, most of the 480 priests and laity in the archdiocese insist on continuing with their traditional Mass, during which the celebrant faces the congregation throughout. The Earnakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese is the seat of power of the Church’s head and the biggest diocese, with close to 10 percent of the over five million followers worldwide. The synod in 2021 decreed its 35 dioceses in India and abroad to adopt the synod-approved mode of Mass for more uniformity in the Church and ordered them to comply with effect from November of the same year. Barring Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, the others complied with the order after some initial protests
SYRO-MALABAR CHURCH LITURGY DISPUTE INDIA ARCHBISHOP
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Philippine Catholic Priests File Impeachment Complaint Against Vice President Sara DuterteThe third impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte has been filed by Catholic priests, accusing her of corruption and plotting the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos.
Read more »
Philippine Catholic Priests File Impeachment Complaint Against Vice President Sara DutertePhilippine Catholic priests have joined the chorus of calls for Vice President Sara Duterte's removal from office, filing a third impeachment complaint against her. The complaint alleges 'anomalous disbursements' of funds during her tenure as vice president and education minister, as well as plotting the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos.
Read more »
Catholic religious urge end to liturgy dispute in Indian ChurchChristian News,World Christian News,Malaysia Church,Religion Christianity
Read more »
Pope to priests and religious in Corsica: Forgive everything, forgive alwaysChristian News,World Christian News,Malaysia Church,Religion Christianity
Read more »
Pope to priests and religious in Corsica: Forgive everything, forgive alwaysChristian News,World Christian News,Malaysia Church,Religion Christianity
Read more »
Indonesian Priests Gather for Ongoing Formation Programme27 priests from Makassar, Amboina, and Manado dioceses participated in a formation programme focused on personal spiritual development and adapting to the modern world.
Read more »