ശീലയും മാനിക്കേയന്‍ മരക്കുരിശും മാര്‍ അങ്ങാടിയത്തും

The simmering feud in Kerala's Syro-Malabar Church over the reform of its liturgy is nearing a flash point in the Chicago Syro-Malabar Diocese. While the priests of the diocese, handpicked by the bishop stand behind him solidly for their own survival in the US the majority of the laity are silent witnesses to this calamity brought on by the stubbornness of the bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath.

A brief back ground history:

The warring factions in the Syro-Malabar Church could be described as the traditionalists and the reformists. The traditionalists maintain that the Syro-Malabar Church is a daughter-Church of the Chaldean Church with headquarters in Baghdad. They are for the adoption of the whole East Syrian (Chaldean) liturgy said to be prevalent in the Church in Kerala from the fifth century to the 16th century when the Latin Church established its sway with the advent of the Portuguese.

"How could our Church founded in 52 AD by Christ's disciple St Thomas, the apostle, become the daughter-Church of the Chaldean Church which was established only in the fifth century?'' is the question posed by the reformists. They vehemently oppose the blind restoration of the Chaldean liturgy and stand for the adaptation of the liturgy in keeping with the spirit of renewal mooted by the Second Vatican Council. They are also for adapting the life and practices of the Church according to the rich Indian heritage.

While the traditionalists are led by the Changanassery Archbishop Joseph Powathil the reformists do not have a single person as leader. It has the Archdiocese of Ernakulam, the seat of the Major Archbishop of the Church, as their base.

Although the fracas between the `bipolar' power centers of the Church has been there for several years there is a peculiar feature. Only the reformists were airing their grievances publicly through forums like the Liturgical Action Committee (LAC) and the Priests' Action Council (PAC) as they felt that `their legitimate wishes were being ignored' by the authorities concerned.

Surprisingly, barring a couple of occasions, the traditionalists never expressed their views in public. The reformists allege that this was because they were `sure' that the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the official wing of Vatican that looks after the affairs of the Syro-Malabar Church, `was on their side'.

The Vatican cannot afford to dismiss the problem in the Syro-Malabar Church as one over subtleties and nuances. The credibility of the Oriental Congregation itself has come under a cloud. "It is a sad fact that several priests of the Church have lost faith in the Congregation,'' said Archbishop Vithayathil, the Apostolic Administrator of the Church.

The reformists have been accusing the congregation of `taking a partisan attitude' in the issue and `promoting' the traditionalists in a bid to `enforce' the Chaldean liturgy, ignoring the feelings of `a majority' of the priests, the religious and the faithful.

On the other hand, the traditionalists, who are ``convinced that the liturgical heritage of the Church is East Syrian and the Catholic Church wants its restoration and preservation'' considers the attack on the congregation ``tantamount to attacking the Pope''.

Whatever the pros and cons of the issue, one thing is clear. The Oriental Congregation had contributed its share to deepen the fissures by declaring `some' bishops as the savior pars or those with `superior intelligence'. This only served to accelerate the pace of distancing between the bishops.There are a host of issues on which the rival factions hold divergent views.

One of the most controversial points is whether to celebrate the Holy Mass with the priest facing the people or facing the altar. As of now, both styles prevail in the Church. While it is Mass facing the people in the reformist belt, priests face the altar in the region where the traditionalists' writ runs.

According to Thrissur Archbishop Jacob Thoomkuzhy, although facing the altar has been in practice for many centuries in the East and the West, the original mode of the eucharistic celebration was `around the altar,' the Mass being the commemoration of the Last Supper. This is the rationale for the Mass facing people.

On the other hand, the Mass facing altar is said to be an eastern liturgical practice wherein the theology of Pilgrim-Church demands that the celebrant should stand at the head of the congregation and lead the people of God to the Lord who comes from the East at the end of the world.

According to the reformists, the traditionalists are for the removal of the crucifix and abolition of prayers like Rosary and Way of the Cross among other things and for the introduction of `Chaldean vestiges' like the Persian Cross, sanctuary veil and `Bema,' (a separate table to be placed in the front or in the middle of the aisle).

``The crucifix has disappeared from many churches and convents which easily succumbed to the Chaldean propaganda,'' says noted religious scholar Prof. Scaria Zacharia. The crucifix, a matter of great religious and emotional attachment is being replaced by what is called the `Mar Thoma Cross'. The reformists contend that this cross is the Manichean Cross, a symbol of a heretic Church of a non-Catholic origin, which has since become defunct.
Archbishop Powathil has reiterated time and again that the Syro-Malabar Church belongs to the Syriac brand of the Christian tradition. According to him the Persian Church and the Indian Church of St Thomas share the same liturgy.

He feels that the Church is at the moment passing through a period of an identity crisis, the after-effect of centuries of latinisation. ``A re-discovery of the genuine ecclesiastical identity is an urgent need,'' he maintains. Although Vatican appointed a Pontifical Commission headed by Archbishop Thomas A. White to study the issues, its report is yet to be published. Reformists allege that the traditionalists and the Oriental Congregation colluded to bury the commission's report which in fact had `assessed the ground reality very well and favoured the reformist stand'.

The reformists, however, trust that the commission report led to the process of elevating the Syro-Malabar Church into an autonomous Church. In January 1993, Antony Cardinal Padiyara was made its first Major Archbishop and Archbishop Abraham Kattumana the Papal Delegate to pave way for full autonomy.

But, the unexpected demise of Archbishop Kattumana the day he submitted an interim report to the Pope set the clock back. The reformists believe that the present crisis in the Church would have been resolved if his report was followed.

It was late in 1996 that the LAC and PAC stepped up their campaign against the traditionalists. The reason was the `news' about the `resignation' of Major Archbishop Padiyara and the `imminent appointment' of Archbishop Powathil in his place.

A group of reformist priests even took out a protest procession for the first time in the recent history of the Church. It is believed that the Vatican State Secretariat, the apex body in the power structure of the Vatican, intervened to study the situation and instructed the posting of someone else to avert a grave crisis in the Church. This was how the Apostolic Administrator entered the scene as Antony Cardinal Padiyara stepped down in December 1996.

This being the situation, some developments in the Synod, seem to hold the potential to signal the beginning of the peace process. The Synod is said to have reached some conclusions to implement `uniformity' in the celebration of the Holy Mass and submit the same for the consideration of the Holy See.

Further, the Synod has also decided to convey to Rome, the desire to elect the Major Archbishop through `consensus' and to appeal to the Pope for being granted the rights pertaining to the appointment of bishops and liturgy.
Although the bishops seem to have reached a consensus on certain controversial liturgical matters, no such accord exists.

ഈ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തിലാണ് ഇന്നാളുവരെ ഒരു കുരിശുപള്ളി വികാരിയായിരുന്ന മാര്‍ അങ്ങാടിയത്ത് സീറോ മലബാര്‍ സഭയിലെ തര്ക്കം പരിഹരിക്കാന്‍ കച്ചകെട്ടിയിരങ്ങിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. നാട്ടിലെ സര്‍വ വേലയും പഠിച്ച മെത്രാന്മാര്‍ നോക്കിയിട്ട് പറ്റാത്ത കാര്യമാണ് . എന്നിട്ടും അങ്ങാടിയത്തിന് യാതൊരു കൂസലുമില്ല. മാലാഖമാര്‍ പോകാന്‍ പേടിക്കുന്നിടത്തെയ്ക്ക് മണ്ടന്മാര്‍ ഇടിച്ചുകയറുമെന്ന് കേട്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്. അതെത്രയോ സത്യം!