Kochi: The ongoing controversy among Catholic churchgoers in Kerala's Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese over liturgical practices led one faction to waylay the Pope’s representative who came to study the matter.
The situation took an unexpected turn on Monday, August 14, as Archbishop Cyril Vasil, a pontifical delegate hailing from the Slovak Greek Catholic Church and dispatched to mediate the conflict, faced resistance from protestors outside St Mary’s Basilica in Ernakulam.
Cyril Vasil was appointed on August 1 to seek a resolution and arrived at the Basilica with the Eucharist in hand. However, his entrance was met with a group from the Athiroopatha Samrakshana Samithi, staunch opponents of the unified mass. With a significant police presence, an impasse at the main gate forced authorities to guide Archbishop Vasil through a side entrance using force.
Once inside, Vasil held a meeting with Fr Antony Poothavelil, the parish vicar of St Mary’s Basilica, before proceeding to the Basilica itself to offer a brief prayer. Following his departure, members of the opposing Athiroopatha Samrakshana Samithi also entered, conducting their own short prayer session.
This recent incident follows Archbishop Vasil's prior undertaking of a unified mass at St John Church near Cochin University, within the Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese. The broader Syro Malabar church, ensnared in controversies for years, was rocked in 2021 when a Synod decision to implement a uniform procedure for the holy mass faced significant resistance, particularly within the Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese.
On Christmas Eve, chaos erupted in the Ernakulam Basilica as opposing factions clashed, leading to two simultaneous masses of differing formats. The situation deteriorated further when police had to intervene, forcibly evacuating priests and congregants and locking the church gates, rendering it closed since then.