By our religious Correspondent
Thrissur, June 24 (IVC) The vexatious Mass liturgy issue of the Syro-Malabar Church’s Enrnakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese has escalated to the Archdiocese of Thrissur, Irinjalakuda and Mananthody with a number about 100 priests expressed their support of the dissents of the E-A archdiocese and have written to the Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil and the Apostolic Administrator, Bosco Puthur.
In their letter signed by 87 priests of the Iirinjalakuda diocese have expressed their strong protest in the joint circular issued by the Major Archbishop and Mar Bosco Puthur on June 09 threatening the priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly (E-A) archdiocese that those who failed to say Uniform mass on or before July 03, Martyrdom Day of Saint Thomas, the Apostole of India, would be defrocked and excommunicated.
Though they have switched over to the Uniform mass unwillingly, the priests of Thrissur and Irinjalakuda were in favour of fully congregation facing the mass. Though they had certain efforts had made to continue he congregation facing mass, their efforts were foiled by the iron hand of Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of this power and authority.
Now the priests found it convenient to rise to the occasion od Mananthody Diocese’s support for the E-A who were interested only in the congregation facing the holy mass throughout and deadly against Uniform mass what may come.
Archbishop of Thrissur and current President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) , Mar Andrews Thazhath warned priests in the archdiocese, who expressed solidarity with their counterparts in the E-A archdiocese, who are in favour of fully people-facing mass as against synod approved mass. Archbishop asked for the priests to stand firmly with official position of the Church on the issue and warned of disciplinary action.
He also told the priests on June 21: “Let me bring to your kind attention that the present liturgical controversy in Ernakulam is more a matter of obedience and communion in the Church than merely rubrics”. The archbishop continued : “ I hereby humbly exhort you with necessary warnings that you stand firmly with the official position of the Church. You know that, as per Church laws, protests causing scandal and disobedience may necessitate disciplinary actions”.
The archbishop addressed his letter to the priests, John Ayyankanayil, Davis Chakkalakal and Francis Muttath and said he was in receipt of a letter in the name of Liturgia Thrichur addressed to the Major archbishop Raphael Thattil and Apostolic Administrator Bosco Puthur on the issue of Mass liturgy. The letter from the priests in Thrissur ctiticised a joint circular issued by the Major Archbishop and apostolic administrator threatening priests in E-A with automatic excommunication if they did not shift to the synod-prescribed Mass by Julyy 03. They described the circular as a throwback to the Middle Ages.
The priests from Thrissur also reminded the major archbishop that 233 priests from the archdiocese had submitted a memorandum at the beginning of the Mass controversy in 1921 and they still hoped that they would be allowed to shift to full people facing mass.
