Posted on 08/16/2021 3:41:52 PM PDT by ebb tide
KERALA, India (ChurchMilitant.com) - India's Syro-Malabar rite priests are rebelling against Pope Francis' recent letter that imposes liturgical uniformity by approving a compromise between facing the altar and facing the congregation while offering the Holy Qurbana (Eucharist).
Pope Francis meets scandal-plagued Cdl. Alencherry
All 456 priests of the Syro-Malabar archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly wrote to Francis Tuesday insisting they would celebrate Mass ad populum (facing the people), breaking with the ancient Chaldean tradition of offering the Holy Qurbana ad orientem (facing East).
The revolt has intensified the ongoing liturgical crisis in the world's largest Eastern Catholic Church, which traces its roots to St. Thomas the Apostle and celebrated the Holy Mass in East Syriac until it was translated into the local Malayalam language in 1968.
Syro-Malabar dioceses follow two different rubrics in offering the Holy Qurbana. Most dioceses have priests facing ad populum, while a minority of dioceses continue to follow the ancient practice of facing ad orientem.
"Facing the people while celebrating the Holy Qurbana became trendy after Vatican II," a Syro-Malabar priest told Church Militant, lamenting the "syncretization and Latinization of the ancient Chaldean rite."
He explained:
Pope Francis' is restricting the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) because he wants people to accept the Novus Ordo (New Rite) with the priest facing the people. Ironically, our Syro-Malabar modernists want to face ad populum, but he's not letting them do this.
The greatest irony is the liberals don't want to accept a compromise, even though it has been approved by a liberal pope. The division is fierce and can be resolved by returning to the authentic and ancient form of ad orientem.
But presbyterial council secretary Fr. Kuriakose Mundadan warned the bishops: "Our situation is not all ready for a 50–50 formula of celebrating the Mass. If the Synod is going to impose it, that will be the most imprudent action in the history of Syro-Malabar Church."
The clerics sent a copy of the letter to Cdl. Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and to Abp. Leopoldo Girelli, the apostolic nuncio to India, as the Syro-Malabar Church prepares to discuss Pope Francis' letter in its synod from Aug. 16–24.
The greatest irony is the liberals don't want to accept a compromise, even though it has been approved by a liberal pope.GabTweet
The virtual synod will decide the date for clamping down a uniform mode of celebrating the Holy Qurbana following Francis' approval of the agreement reached by the Syro-Malabar bishops in 1999.
"I strongly urge the Syro-Malabar bishops to persevere, and I confirm their ecclesial 'walking together' with God's people, trusting that 'time is greater than space' (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 222–225) and that 'unity prevails over conflict' (cf. Ibid, 226–230)," Francis wrote in July.
"I willingly take the occasion of the recognition of the new Raza Qurbana Taksa to exhort all the clergy, religious and lay faithful to proceed to a prompt implementation of the uniform mode of celebrating the Holy Qurbana for the greater good and unity of your Church," he added.
According to the 1999 agreement, now approved by Francis, the priest will face the congregation until he begins the Eucharistic prayer. The priest will then face the altar for the Eucharistic prayer until the administration of Holy Communion to the laity.
The enforcement of the new mode now will give rise to a public scandal to people of other faiths and will be detrimental to evangelization. GabTweet
After Holy Communion, the priest will return to the ad populum position until the end of the Holy Qurbana.
The synod failed to implement the new formula on July 3, 2000, the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, as four of the 14 Syro-Malabar dioceses continued facing ad orientem while 10 dioceses opted to face ad populum.
Bishops of at least six dioceses permitted priests to reject the compromise formula after fierce opposition from clergy and laity, with the pro-ad populum Nazrani Catholic Priests Conference (NCPC) threatening a boycott by 2,000 out of 2,500 priests in the 14 dioceses.
A Syro-Malabar priest offering the Holy Qurbana
"The bishops allowed the exemption taking into consideration the explosive situation prevailing in the church," Fr. Jose Vayalikkodath, joint secretary of the NCPC explained.
Sources in Kerala told Church Militant that the liturgical division has at least three dimensions:
First, there are those who insist on an Indian rather than Chaldean Liturgy. This is partly tied to the inculturation movement unleashed after Vatican II.
Second, there is a very strong division between the dioceses in North Kerala and South Kerala with each clinging to their own position on which way to face while offering the Holy Qurbana.
Finally, there is a strong lay opinion with two Malayalam magazines taking two different positions on the issue. So, in some cases, while the clergy are in favor of ad populum, the laity are strongly opposed. In other cases, it is the reverse.
Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church and archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, has the ear of Pope Francis and has most certainly influenced him to approve this liturgical compromise," the priest pointed out.
Facing the people while celebrating the Holy Qurbana became trendy after Vatican II.GabTweet
"No pope has made this move for 21 years since the synod agreement in 1999," he noted. "Alencherry is currently facing trial in Kerala's secular court for corruption in a land deal case, and the Vatican has been on his side refusing to take any action."
Syro-Malabar traditionalists continuing to face ad orientem
Joseph Thazhethupurackal, editor of the traditionalist Nazraen journal, maintains that the Chaldean liturgical ritual was inherited from the time of St. Thomas the Apostle, who reached Kerala 52 A.D.
"And so, we have only one liturgical identity. That is of the Chaldean rite. But the problem is the majority of bishops and priests are Latinized," Thazhethupurackal complained.
A Latin-rite priest from South India told Church Militant "the rubrics of the uniform mode of Mass, which was agreed by the synod in 1999, is being forcibly implemented now through the pope's instruction to have unity in the Mass rubrics, after 21 years."
He observed:
In such a situation it is natural that there will be conflicts. It is going to cause great harm to the Church, as the faithful are used to both the rites.The enforcement of the new mode now will give rise to a public scandal to people of other faiths and will be detrimental to evangelization. It would have been better if both forms would have been allowed to continue.
The Syro-Malabar Church has 5 million members all over the world with 64 bishops, 8,547 priests and 32,114 women religious. Outside India, the Church has jurisdiction over eparchies in Chicago, Melbourne, London and the eparchy of Missisauga in Canada.
First, there are those who insist on an Indian rather than Chaldean Liturgy. This is partly tied to the inculturation movement unleashed after Vatican II.
Another VC II "fruit".
If all 456 priests wrote a letter that they would violate the tradition, where is the revolt?
It’s a revolt against the pope’s directives.
I don’t get this either, it seems more like the various priests are in a state of confusion.
It seems that there’s a split among practitioners of this rite over ad orientem / versus populum, and Bergoglio is trying to impose uniformity (in favor of ad orientem). As one of the players indicates, it’s the exact opposite of what he’s trying to do with the Novus Ordo in the West. But that’s par for the course for the man.
I always go back to this quote:
“However, Bergoglio did not heal the split in the Jesuit family. He made it worse with his inexperienced autocratic style. So deep was the division that one senior Jesuit wrote privately, on the eve of the papal election, that a Bergoglio papacy would be “a catastrophe” for the Church, concluding: “We have spent two decades trying to fix the chaos that the man left us.””
https://www.newsweek.com/2014/10/31/crisis-changed-pope-francis-279303.html
Actually the traditional rite was ad orientem; after VC II, many priests rebelled and celebrated ad populum.
Bergogio wanted neither, his directive was to celebrate half the Mass ad orientum and half the Mass ad populum. Something that neither side was doing.
One thing’s sure, Bergoglio acts, chaos ensues.
Thus always with Bergoglio... imposing a hamfisted “solution” that ends up alienating everyone.
It’s truly pathological with this man. Some see his brand of chaos as simply a left-right issue, and it’s certainly true that he’s a thoroughly a man of the left, but it’s more than that. He’s a sociopathic bully with no business managing people. I always go back the fact that the Argentine Jesuits, left, right & center, were united in their disdain for the man.
ping
FMCDJ
Interesting. I’ve heard it was not just the Argentine Jesuits, either. In their Curia in Rome, when the new pope was announced, a few higher up Jesuits threw furniture around to release their anger. So the theory that B’s election was a jesuit plot, no.
Source?
Personal connections; you will not find it on the internet (until now!)
Interesting.
Francis' appointment of Jesuits to lead Vatican offices an 'anomaly' in church's history
If you read my post correctly, I stated THEIR Curia, the Jesuit curia!
Lots of priests in my family and friendship circles.
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