Kerala Church: Old lobbies and new row over the way Mass is offered

The Church Synod in 1999 introduced a uniform procedure: The clergy would offer the initial part of the Mass facing the faithful, and the rest facing the altar and inner sanctum. The celebrant would turn to the faithful at the end of the Mass to give a final blessing.

Until then, various dioceses had followed different procedures. Some bishops would offer the entire session of the Mass facing the faithful, some other dioceses would offer the entire Mass facing the inner sanctum, and some others would follow a mix of both.

The lack of uniformity came to prominence during the pandemic. When all churches were shut down as part of Covid-19 protocols, various dioceses started live-streaming of Mass, which showed the different ways Mass was being offered within the same Church.

The Vatican took notice of the prevailing different liturgical practices in various dioceses, and urged the Syro-Malabar Synod to go for a uniform procedure. Accordingly, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Head Archbishop George Alencherry issued a directive last year, paving the way for a uniform procedure for Mass from November 28, 2021 in all dioceses in Kerala and elsewhere.

Ernakulam church defiance

In the archdiocese of Ernakulam, which is virtually the seat of the Syro-Malabar Church, priests were opposed to the new method. They used to offer Mass facing the faithful throughout the ritual. Bishop Kariyil stood by their wishes.

There is another controversy. Even before the Mass row, most priests and a section of the laity were opposed to Alencherry because of a land deal, allegedly involving Rs 90 crore, in which he is facing a criminal case.

Rituals & lobbies

For over a century, the Church has witnessed disputes over rituals, including the Mass. While one section wanted the Syrian Eastern tradition of liturgy to be followed, another section wanted the rituals customised for Indians.

By the 1980s, these two lobbies had rallied behind two archdioceses. One lobby, under the archdiocese of Changanassery, argued for a conservative, Eastern Syrian liturgy, and subsequent Chaldeanization of the Kerala Church. The other lobby, under the Archdiocese of Ernakulam, took a more liberal approach. Bishops in the Church became part of one of these lobbies or the other.

Even as the dispute continued, the Syro-Malabar Church was declared an autonomous Church under Rome in 1992. The Church Synod in 1999 decided to implement a uniform method of offering Mass, but that decision could not be implemented due to the stiff resistance from a section of bishops and priests. They continued as a lobby under the archdiocese of Ernakulam.

Power play

Over the last two decades, the Syro-Malabar Church has undergone major changes. The lobby of bishops under Ernakulam archdiocese, which argued against conservative liturgical practices, weakened. In 2011, Alancherry was democratically elected the Church Head for the first time, voted in by a majority among 44 bishops. Alencherry belongs to the lobby under the archdiocese of Changanassery. Since then, several new bishops were appointed and new dioceses too were carved out, the bishops in which owed allegiance to Alencherry.

History of dispute

One of the Eastern Catholic Churches under Rome, the Syro-Malabar Church claims its legacy as being from evangelist St Thomas in the first century AD. Until the arrival of the Europeans, they were under Chaldean Church in the Persian region.

After European forces started missionary work in the Indian subcontinent, the Catholic Church here came under the influence of Latin Rite or Western Liturgical practices. Towards the end of the 19th century, Rome allowed partial restoration of the autonomy of the Syro-Malabar Church and local priests were made bishops, instead of Europeans. That led to the emergence of different views about the identity of the Church, as well as the liturgy.