Priests’ council seeks intervention of CBCI, KCBC in Mass row
Priests’ council secretary of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese Father Kuriakose Mundadan has appealed to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) and the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) to intervene in the raging row in the archdiocese over the Mass liturgy which, he said, threatened to turn into a scandal engulfing the entire Catholic Church.
The Syro-Malabar Church is a sui iuris Church, as Pope Francis has said. And, as such, both the CBCI and the KCBC will not be willing to encroach on the internal matters of the Church. “Nevertheless, when the chain of events in the Church becomes as scandalous as it can, you have to rethink about the image of the Catholic Church, your responsibility towards the Church,” said Father Mundadan in his letters to the bishops’ groups on Tuesday.
Foranes to initiate legal action against archbishop ThazhathBaptism by fire, water for circular as rebels reject synod diktat on Mass liturgy
Father Mundadan reminded the bishops’ groups of the deadline of July 3 set in a joint circular issued on June 9 for finally switching to the unified synod Mass. But he recalled Pope Francis’ words that liturgical decisions in a sui iuris Church were to be taken by the synod. The bishops’ synod, however, is not the permanent synod or a caucus in the synod.
Though an online synod was officially announced for June 14, the joint circular, which should have contained the decisions of the synod, was issued even before the synod discussions, claimed Father Mundadan in his letter. After objections were raised, the online synod was extended to continue on June 19.
Father Mundadan’s letter accused former apostolic administrator Andrews Thazhath of “misusing power” and misguiding and misinforming the Pope on liturgical issues of the archdiocese. His unethical acts and reports have helped sink the situation further into controversies, whereas the issue was of simple rubrics (of Mass celebrant facing people or facing away from people) into a major dispute over ecclesiastical communion, it said.
“This is, to say the least, utterly unchristian and against the basic gospel principles. The acts of archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the former apostolic administrator, Archbishop of Thrissur, and president of the CBCI are really abominable,” Father Mundadan’s letter said.
- Telegram
SEE ALL
PRINT