Do not bar worshippers from entering St. Mary’s Basilica, say lay people and priests

KOCHI

A group of lay people and priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church has appealed to the Ernakulam district authorities not to bar worshippers from entering the St. Mary’s Basilica Cathedral here.

The basilica, the principal seat of the archdiocese and prime centre for the archdiocesan liturgical celebrations, was taken over by the police on Sunday and handed over to the district administration. The move followed tension between two groups in the archdiocese in support of and against the unified Mass.

Senior priests Father Sebastian Thalian and Father Jose Vailkodath of Athiroopatha Samrakshana Samiti (group for protection of the archdiocese) said there was no situation where the right to offer worship at the basilica should be blocked. The move to force the closure of the basilica came from vested interests, the priests said. They blamed apostolic administrator Mar Andrews Thazhath of ignoring a warning against triggering tensions by arriving for the Sunday Mass.

Almaya Munnettam, a group of lay people opposing the unified Mass, demanded that the basilica not be closed to worship. The group blamed Archbishop Thazhath and called on him to step down. It also appealed to the Vatican to intervene to resolve the dispute over the way the Mass is celebrated in the archdiocese.

The differences between the two groups, both having supporters among lay people and priests, is centred on the way the Mass is celebrated. Almaya Munnettam and Athiroopatha Samrakshana Samiti have reiterated their demand that the fully people-facing Mass be continued, while the opposing group want a system where the celebrant faces the congregation only during the first half of the Mass.

There was a diktat from the archdiocesan administration that the Mass at the basilica would be in the unified system, of the celebrant facing the people for the first half, from Sunday, the first day of Advent 2022. However, those opposing the unified Mass gathered in strength and some of them locked themselves on the basilica premises preventing Mar Thazhath from celebrating the unified Mass. The tension prompted the police to intervene and close the basilica until an order from the Revenue Divisional Officer.