Lay people’s group Almaya Munnettam of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church has said full congregation-facing Mass, as opposed to the 50:50 Mass recommended by the synod of bishops, will continue in the archdiocese. The announcement came after a delegation of Almaya Munnettam leaders met bishop Bosco Puthur, the new apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, on Saturday.
The announcement assumes significance in the wake of Pope Francis’ video message on Thursday creating a ‘take it or leave it’ situation. The Pope categorically ordered the archdiocesan clergy and lay people either to face excommunication or obey the Syro-Malabar synod on the mode of Mass celebration. The synod has ordered Mass celebration with the celebrant facing the congregation for the first half, turning to the altar for the consecration and then again facing the congregation for conclusion and blessings.
After the Pope’s address to members of the archdiocese was circulated on Thursday, groups of lay people and clergy opposed to the synod Mass maintained that there were factual errors in the Pope’s understanding of the ground reality. They, including the forum of priests, claimed the former major archbishop and head of the church, Cardinal George Alencherry, former apostolic administrator Andrews Thazhath, and a coterie succeeded in misleading Rome. Those who tried hard to keep the archdiocese united were being painted as a divisive force as a result, they claimed.
Riju Kanjookkaran, spokesman for the lay people’s forum, said if things did not move forward honouring an agreement reached between a sub-committee of bishops and delegates of lay people and the clergy, the forum will not cooperate with bishop Puthur. For the record, bishop Puthur was the chairman of the synod’s sub-committee that engaged the group opposed to the synodal Mass in discussions earlier, he added.
