A crucial meeting of the assembly of priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church on Friday has raised the prospects of reconciliation on the issue of Mass liturgy in the archdiocese at the earliest.
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The day-long meeting of priests of the archdiocese with apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur and others of the Syro-Malabar Church will be held at the pastoral centre, Niveditha, at Chunangamveli. Archbishop Puthur will preside over the meeting, according to a notice issued by Father Varghese Pottakkal, protosyncellus of the archdiocese.
Though the notice convening the assembly of priests has not specified the topics to be discussed, a group supporting the official Church hierarchy on the issue of Mass liturgy claimed that it was the final chance for the group of priests opposed to the synod Mass to come to terms with the official stand of the Church for a unified system.
However, a spokesman for Almaya Munnettam, which is opposed to the synod decision in favour of unified Mass, said the group stood firm on its demand for a Mass in which the priest faced the congregation for the entire duration of Mass as against the 50:50 Mass prescribed by the synod of bishops. The group also claimed that issues related to the Mass and the stand taken by a majority of the faithful and priests had been conveyed to Rome, which had responded positively to the communication.
Sources in Samyukta Sabha Samrakshana Samithi, in favour of the synod decision on Mass, claimed that the archdiocesan authorities had already met vicars of foranes on the issue, and that Friday’s meeting was expected to bring about a final settlement. They also said that the top functionaries of the archdiocese and the Syro-Malabar Church had been ordered to reach Rome in early May to discuss the issues ahead of a final settlement being made public.