La Chiesa siro-malabarese in India avvia un piano per risolvere l'amara faida liturgica 

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Una Messa sinodale in corso presso la Chiesa di San Domenico ad Aluva nell'arcidiocesi di Ernakulam della Chiesa siro-malabarese il 14 luglio 2024. / Credito: Anto Akkara

Kochi, India, 17 luglio 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

The simmering liturgical feud over the implementation of the synodal Mass that came close to the issuing of excommunications in the Ernakulam Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church (SMC) in India has subsided with a “compromise” on July 3, the feast of St. Thomas, patron of the SMC.

“The Holy Qurbana [Mass] should not be the reason for division in the Church,” Father Antony Vadakkekara, SMC spokesperson, told CNA on July 16.

“That is why the [SMC] synod made the compromise proposal to say at least one synodal Mass in each of the parishes.” 

Trouble started brewing in the archdiocese after the SMC synod in August 2021 mandated the synodal Mass, also known as the “uniform Mass” in which the priest turns toward the altar with his back to the congregation after the offertory prayer. The priests of the Ernakulam Archdiocese rejected this and continued to say Mass facing the people throughout the liturgy.

Le esortazioni sinodali e papali hanno portato a proteste da parte del clero e dei laici, culminate con l'emissione da parte di Papa Francesco di un termine per l'attuazione della Messa sinodale a partire dal 7 dicembre 2023, in un video message all'arcidiocesi.

Ascoltando questo consiglio papale, la Messa sinodale è stata messa in atto il Natale 2023, ma la stragrande maggioranza dei 450 sacerdoti dell'arcidiocesi si è opposta. Una lettera pastorale è stata poi emessa dall'arcivescovo il 14 giugno con minacce di scomunica e una scadenza di luglio.

“Priests who do not obey our decision from July 3 will be treated as those who have left the Catholic Church fraternity. Such priests will be barred from offering holy Mass in the Catholic Church from July 3,” cautioned Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, who heads the SMC Synod, in the pastoral letter.

The letter evoked strong protests on June 16, a Sunday. Besides being “unread” in most of the 330 parishes in the archdiocese, several parishes witnessed proteste senza precedenti come l'incendio della lettera pastorale, scaricandola nei cestini dei rifiuti e gettandola in corpi d'acqua intorno alle chiese.

Con la tensione in aumento prima della scadenza del 3 luglio, Thattil e l'amministratore apostolico di Ernakulam, il vescovo Bosco Puthur, si sono precipitati a tenere incontri con corpi sacerdotali e sono arrivati a un piano reso pubblico il 1 ° luglio.

Chiedendo che almeno una Messa sinodale sia celebrata in ciascuna delle parrocchie la domenica e in altri giorni obbligatori, il piano consente la continuazione della liturgia esistente di fronte al popolo. La dichiarazione dice anche che il corpo presbiteriale chiave e il consiglio pastorale saranno consultati prima che il Sinodo SMC prenda ulteriori decisioni sulla questione.

“It was a big breakthrough, and it is working,” Vadakkekara said. “July 3 compliance [for the synodal Mass] was over 50%. On July 7, Sunday, 75%. The situation should improve from here onward.” 

“We are happy that Major Archbishop Thattil brought out a very positive formula. We readily accepted it,” Father Jose Vailikodath, spokesperson for the Archdiocesan Protection Committee (APC), told CNA.

“We had no intention to disobey the Church leadership but we wanted the Church to acknowledge our opposition to the synodal Mass due to historical reasons. Now, the ice is broken. We pray the feud is behind us for good,” Vailikodath said.

“We are glad that there was not a single problem in any parish on Sunday. That is a good sign. Hope it is a new beginning,” Riju Kanjookaran of the laity movement, who led several protests, told CNA.

Nonostante i timori di interruzioni, nulla è stato riportato dall'arcidiocesi quando si è tenuta una messa sinodale nella maggior parte delle parrocchie.

“We decided to have the synodal Mass for the evening — the fourth Sunday Mass,” Father Joseph Karumathy, parish priest of St. Dominic Church, told CNA on July 14.

Mentre i critici dicono che la Messa sinodale è prevista per orari strani in diverse parrocchie senza essere inclusa nel programma regolare, alcuni sacerdoti dicono che è prevista per una fascia oraria speciale in quanto ci sono solo pochi desiderosi di parteciparvi.

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish with 370 families at Thaikattukara near Aluva held the new synodal Mass at 3:30 p.m. as a third Mass of the day. On July 14, there were only two dozen people for the new synodal Mass and of the attendees only one said “I am here for Synodal Mass,” while others said the new extra afternoon Mass suited them. 

Ma la Parrocchia di Mary Queen a Thoppil, con più di 1.000 famiglie, è una delle sette parrocchie dell'arcidiocesi dove viene offerta solo la Messa sinodale. 

“All the three Masses here are synodal only,” Father Simon Pallupetta, vicar of Mary Queen Parish of Thoppil, told CNA. “When I was given the transfer option, I insisted on a parish where the synodal Mass is said. There have been some objections but I convinced them to follow this system.”

“I firmly stand by the decision of the synod. The whole problem has to be resolved with dialogue and action at the earliest as the division in the Church is a scandal,” Pallupetta said.

Altre parrocchie nelle diocesi non hanno risposto allo stesso modo. Sessanta chiese, come il decano di San Giorgio a Edappally, non hanno avuto una messa sinodale, ma gruppi laici rivali hanno presentato casi giudiziari sia a favore che contro la sua attuazione.

One of the parishes in the archdiocese most affected by the bitter feud is St. Mary’s Basilica-Cathedral. Though the basilica was opened in March after being locked for over a year, it looked deserted on July 14 with hardly anyone entering, even on a Sunday, as Mass is not allowed to be held in the basilica due to court order.

“I feel very sad here as I cannot say Mass in the basilica though I can preside over marriage blessings, conduct baptisms and funeral services inside,” Father Varghese Manavalan, vicar of the basilica parish, which has 1,900 registered families, told CNA.   

“I eagerly pray that parties to the case are moved by the July 3 message and ensure that the basilica is open for Mass at the earliest,” he said. “The faithful who come to me are frustrated. We cannot go on like this.” Manavalan currently says Mass at locations outside of the church. 

“The developments from July 3 give us hope. Both sides had taken an uncompromising stance leading to the scandalous situation,” Father Ignatius Payyappilly, who is in charge of the archives of the archdiocese, told CNA.

“Both sides have done more harm than good to the Church, especially by driving away the youth from the Church,” Payyappilly pointed out. “The scandal began at the peak of COVID in 2021. As the division got worse, the youth have been really disenchanted.” 

L'aspra faida con il sinodo ha lasciato l'arcidiocesi di Ernakulam, una delle più grandi del paese con oltre 600.000 cattolici e 330 parrocchie, con la sua leadership pastorale e le preoccupazioni in disordine.

L'arcidiocesi rimane sotto un vescovo amministratore apostolico, e l'ordinazione di otto diaconi, che hanno completato almeno 11 anni di formazione in seminario, rimane in sospeso. I diaconi erano originariamente programmati per essere ordinati al sacerdozio lo scorso periodo natalizio.

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