Vatican Appointee Denied Entry Into Indian Cathedral

UCANews ^ | 11/28/22

[marshmallow]

Showdown between Archbishop Thazhath and laity may aggravate ongoing liturgical dispute in a Syro-Malabar Church archdiocese

The Vatican-appointed administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church was denied entry to a cathedral by his opponents over an ongoing liturgical dispute.

Archbishop Andrews Thazhath arrived at the St Mary’s Basilica Cathedral Church for Sunday Mass on Nov. 27 but was stopped from entering its premises as the protesting laity from the archdiocese locked the gates.

The prelate had earlier announced that he would be offering Mass ushering in the liturgical celebrations of Advent in the mode approved by the Synod of Bishop ignoring the opposition to it by the priests and laity who insist on the traditional mode.

Police accompanying the prelate as a precaution did not let him get out of the car and after waiting for about 10 minutes they drove away to the Archbishop’s House.

Archbishop Thazhath’s supporters reportedly broke open its gates and tried to damage the property including a portrait of his predecessor Metropolitan Vicar Archbishop Antony Kariyil. Police intervened and chased away the troublemakers.

Riju Kanjookaran, the spokesperson of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT), described all this as “a deliberate act of arrogance from Archbishop Andrews Thazhath to sabotage the ongoing peace talk.”

The priests and laity at the archdiocese were openly opposed to the archbishop’s plans to facilitate the synod-approved Mass at the cathedral and insisted on continuing with the traditional Mass in which the celebrant faces the congregation throughout.

In the uniform Mass, dictated by the synod, the priest faces the congregation for the first half of the Mass and then faces away from them for the second half of the ceremonies.

This liturgical dispute dating back nearly five decades in the Oriental Church was revived in August last year after.......