As the Major Archiepiscopal Assembly of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church draws to a close on Sunday, tensions are expected to flare up at the event venue in Pala with the ongoing factionalism within the church likely to take centre stage.
ADVERTISEMENT
Almaya Munnettom, a forum representing laypeople from the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, has announced plans to stage a protest demanding investigation against Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, former apostolic administrator, for allegedly attempting to align the clergy and lay community with “extremist fascist” forces.
“We will distribute leaflets detailing how Andrews Thazhath abused his authority as apostolic administrator and misinformed Pope Francis regarding the liturgical disputes in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly,” says Riju Kanjookaran, coordinator of Almaya Munnettom.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Friday, all seven lay representatives from the archdiocese staged an walkout during a tribute to Cardinal George Alencherry, an unprecedented episode in the history of Syro-Malabar Assembly. They also boycotted a Holy Mass led by the Cardinal.
“The protest was directed at the glorification of a prelate who was compelled to resign by the Vatican,” one lay representative explained.
This unexpected episode sent shockwaves through the church, prompting Bishop Pauly Kannookadan, convener of the Assembly committee, to publicly rebuke the protesters on Saturday. “Although we had planned a similar walkout against Andrews Thazhath, we postponed it to participate in the open forums scheduled for the afternoon. Instead, we will carry out our leaflet distribution tomorrow,” added the source.
With an estimated 4.25 million followers, the Syro-Malabar Church is the second-largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome. However, since the church’s synod decision in 2021 to implement a unified mode of celebrating the Mass, controversy has engulfed its largest archdiocese, Ernakulam-Angamaly.