Members of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese defy archbishop Thazhath

They throw into dustbins or burn his circular imposing unified Mass; circular read out only in four churches, says laity forum

Members of one of the parishes of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese burn copies of a circular by archdiocesan administrator Archbishop Andrews Thazhath on Sunday.

Parish members of the Syro-Malabar archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly defied archdiocesan administrator Archbishop Andrews Thazhath once again on Sunday by either throwing into dustbins or publicly burning copies of his circular imposing a unified Mass system in the Syro-Malabar Church.

A communication from Almaya Munnettam, a combine of lay people in the archdiocese, which has continuously defied the demand by the synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church on the issue of unified Mass system, congratulated the parish members for their action.

The circular issued by the archbishop to be read out during the Sunday Mass on October 9, did not have the backing of any canonical bodies, claimed Riju Kanjookkaran of the Munnettam, which has said the majority of the laity and priests and religious wanted a fully congregation facing Mass system in the archdiocese, which is the largest administrative unit in the Syro-Malabar Church with about 1.5 million members.

Only at four of the places where Mass was celebrated on Sunday saw the archbishop’s circular being read out, Mr. Kanjookkaran claimed. There are 328 parishes, including smaller chapels and 450 other centres including convents and religious houses in the archdiocese where Mass was celebrated on Sunday.