The Vatican representative in Delhi, Leopoldo Girelli, Apostolic Nuncio, met apostolic administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church Archbishop Antony Kariyil here on Tuesday. The meeting lasted more than three hours after Archbishop Girelli arrived at the Archbishop Kariyil's house in Kochi around 9 a. m. He left the official residence of the head of the archdiocese after 12 noon.
Though initially there were rumours that Archbishop Kariyil had expressed his willingness to step down from his position as the apostolic administrator, church sources said the Nuncio had also met Bishops from the Syro Malabar Church as well as other representatives of the Church and that a decision would be announced officially from the Vatican, headquarters of the universal Catholic Church.
The Vatican authorities are reported to have asked Archbishop Kariyil to step down in view of his perceived support of a system of Mass celebration in which the priest faced the congregation throughout the ceremonies. The way of celebrating the Mass with the celebrant facing the congregation for the entire period of the ceremonies has wide support in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese from the community of the laity and priests.
However, the Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church had, in August last year, issued a decision that all the dioceses in the Syro-Malabar Church should follow a uniform system of celebration of the Mass in which the priest faced the congregation for the first part of the Mass and then turned towards the altar or madbaha for the rest of the ceremonies. The Synod's decision has been widely opposed in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese and Archbishop Kariyil has been seen siding with those opposing the synodal decision.
Around 200 priests from the archdiocese had a meeting here on Monday to express their protest against the Vatican decision to ask Archbishop Kariyil to step down. Major Archbishop and Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, has insisted that all the dioceses follow the synodal decision.
