Posted on 10/27/2022 6:39:01 PM PDT by marshmallow
Archbishop Andrews Thazhath’s intervention in liturgical dispute has angered priests, laity of Kerala-based Eastern-rite Church
Laypeople in an archdiocese in India’s Eastern-rite Syro-Malabar Church have begun a round-the-clock vigil to stop the Vatican-appointed administrator from gaining entry into Archbishop’s House.
Lay leaders in the Kerala-based Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church say Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the apostolic administrator, unilaterally revoked the dispensation which so far allowed the priests to say Mass facing the people.
The vigil was launched on Oct. 16 and teams of laypeople from different parishes have been assigned to ensure a 24-hour watch.
“We no longer want the apostolic administrator to get inside our Archbishop’s House,” said Riju Kanjookaran, the spokesperson of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT) told UCA News on Oct. 17.
The protesting priests and laity have been demanding the resignation of Archbishop Thazhath, accusing him of misleading the Vatican and trying to impose the liturgical pattern approved by the bishops’ synod that requires priests to face the altar against the congregation during the Eucharistic prayer until Communion.
The Vatican appointed the archbishop of Trichur to be the apostolic administrator of Ernakulam-Angamaly on July 30 with a mandate to settle the liturgical dispute caused by the stiff opposition to the decision of the synod to have uniformity in the celebration of Eucharist.
The resistance to Archbishop Thazhath took a dramatic turn on Sept. 30 when he ordered all the priests to say the synod-approved Mass with immediate effect and revoked their dispensation.
(Excerpt) Read more at ucanews.com ...
But the liberals in the hierarchy hate the Mass being offered with the priest ad orierntem in the Latin Rite. I do not know what the traditional posture is in the Syro-Malaga’s rite. Maybe the pattern is to oppose the preference of the faithful in general and to impose authority at all cost.
"Lay leaders"
Another rotten fruit of VC II. Like "lay readers", "lay extraordinary eucharistic monsters", "lay church administrators", etc.
I’m a lay reader. I don’t think I’m a rotten fruit. I’m very good at it.
You’re very good at doing something the way it is done in a protestant service.
You may be right. The Mass we attend on Sunday evenings does call to mind a Protestant service in some respects. There is basically a praise band, which my husband really likes and I have very mixed feelings about. OTOH, the priest throws in some Gregorian chant now and then.
It’s not coherent, consistent like a Latin Mass. But, as two or more of us are gathered in His Name, and Christ is present in the Eucharist, I think we are muddling along ok.
Traditionally, the Syro Malabar rite was ad orientem, that is, facing the altar. However, after VII there were priests who lobbied for the “facing the people” position. They compromised and both postures were permitted, with people becoming accustomed to one posture or another (depending on what was standard at their parish). However, it has been a source of conflict since the 1970s (when the versus populum position was enforced through the Novus Ordo).
Bergoglio has been trying to impose VII uniformity, and it was decided that the Spyro-Malabar rite had to become more uniform. The only thing odd that the Vatican wants the ad-orientem posture, although it may not be Rome but simply the preference of this archbishop sent from Rome. Or it may be that the majority in India already followed the traditional ad-orientem use and this was a clumsy attempt to make it uniform.
I think it is really just to impose authority and certainly not to encourage reverence or orthodoxy, but it’s interesting that it’s the pro-vs populum crowd that is out there rioting.
Thank you.
“I think we are muddling along ok.”
You may be right.
Your humility is not impressive.
Lol. I guess I am guilty of boasting on that. Lord have mercy me, a sinner.
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