The row in the Syro-Malabar Church over the way the Mass is celebrated has taken a new turn with the Vatican asking Archbishop Antony Kariyil to step down as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.
The community of priests in the archdiocese held a protest meeting here on Monday against the decision to ask Archbishop Kariyil to step down. Around 200 priests participated in the meeting.
A senior priest, who participated in the meeting, said the decision to ask Archbishop Kariyil to step down was not right, an opinion shared by the majority of the priests and the laity. Father Kuriakose Mundadan said Cardinal George Alencherry should step down and claimed that Archbishop Kariyil had stood with the faithful and the priests at a time of crisis and he was being ousted for this “offence”.
Riju Kanjookkaran of the Almaya Munnettam, an organisation representing lay people, said the decision against the Archbishop was not right and not acceptable. He also said "suppression" of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese for Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop and head of the Syro Malabar Church, would not be tolerated.
The row is centred on a decision by the Synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church in August last year to follow a uniform way of celebrating the Mass. The uniform way involves the celebrant (priest) facing the congregation participating in the Mass for the first part of the Mass and then completing the Mass turning towards the altar.
Church sources said Archbishop Kariyil had been perceived as supporting the view of the majority of the priests and the faithful, especially in the Ernakulam Angamaly Archdiocese, for a celebration of the Mass with the priest facing the congregation throughout the ceremonies.
Cardinal George Alencherry has consistently supported a uniform celebration of the Mass as per the synodal decision.
