Ernakulam: Dispute over Mass reported among believers inside a church in Thannipuzha. The believers of the Ernakulam Kaladi Thannipuzha Church grouped into two and clashed against each other.
The priest tried to hold a unified mass approved by the Synod, which the believers opposed. A clash erupted when a man supported the priest’s attempt to hold the Mass. The rebel faction clashed with the priest’s supporter inside the church. Police who reached the spot tried to pacify the believers and stop the dispute. But when the clash started getting nasty, they had to forcefully disperse the people inside the church.
Meanwhile, in Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, it has been instructed to provide a list of churches that have performed unified mass. Sixteen Forane Vicars were asked to respond from the Archdiocese headquarters in order to report to the Vatican. The Pope had directed that a unified Mass be implemented in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamali from December 24.
Tension inside the church among the believers over the conduct of unified mass had been reported earlier too.
The Synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church in 2021, announced that unified Mass would be conducted in all churches from November 28, 2021. A large section of the commoners and a number of priests opposed to it. The dissident priests and faithful supporting the popular congregation-facing Mass organised a large gathering in Kochi earlier in 2022 against the Syro-Malabar church administration’s decision to implement the unified Mass.
In October 2022, Mar Andrews Thazhath, apostolic administrator of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese issued a circular urging the parishes to implement the unified Mass. However, a section in the Angamaly Archdiocese opposed the practice.
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