The sharp division among members of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly over the unified Mass celebration, among other issues, has spilled into the open again.
The more vociferous Alamaya Munnettam, a lay people’s group enjoying the support of a majority of parishes and priests, claimed that it had completed a meeting of 16 parish foranes in the Kalady area in support of a Mass system in which the priest faced the congregation for the full duration.
The stand is against a diktat from the Synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church in August last year that the celebrant should face the congregation only for the first half and then turn away from the congregation for the second half.
The rivals, the archdiocesan lay people’s protection group, reacting to a meeting at the archdiocesan catechetical centre by Alamaya Munnettam members against Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry, warned that anti-archdiocesan activities would not be allowed on campuses of church-owned institutions.
The warning from the lay people’s group came on Friday in the wake of heated exchanges at Chengal Jeevalaya, near Kalady, where the police intervened to pacify the quarrelling groups. The group said the premises of a church institution were being abused by Alamaya Munnettam and its support groups.
The group against the official Synodal stand reiterated its demand on Friday that the Cardinal pay restitution for losses in land deals (four years ago) and that former archdiocesan administrator Archbishop Antony Kairyil be given protection.
The lay people’s protection group, on the other hand, demanded action against those in charge of Jeevalaya for allowing its premises to be “misused”.
