Papal delegate appointed to address Syro-Malabar liturgical dispute

August 01, 2023

Pope Francis has named a Slovakian Jesuit archbishop as his personal delegate to seek a resolution to the bitter liturgical dispute that has divided the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly in India's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.

Archbishop Cyril Vasil of Kosice is quite familiar with the Eastern Catholic churches. He had previously served as rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and then as secretary of the Vatican Congregation for the Eastern Churches. He himself is a member of an Eastern Catholic Church, heading the Slovakian Catholic Eparchy (diocese) of Kosice.

Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly has been torn apart by controversy since the introduction of a new liturgical ritual for the Syro-Malabar Church. The new form was accepted in other eparchies (dioceses), and the Syro-Malabar Synod ordered its use in all churches. But the ritual encountered angry resistance in Ernakulam-Angamaly. As papal delegate, Archbishop Vasil has been asked “to study the current situation and to propose the ways to end the crisis."

Last year, amid violent clashes between supporters and opponents of the new liturgical form, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Andrews Thazhath as apostolic administrator of Ernakulam-Angamaly. But the confrontations continued to escalate, forcing the closure of the Enakulam cathedral to avoid further violence. In May, at a meeting in Rome with Vatican officials, the bishops of the Syro-Malabar Synod recommended the appointment of a papal delegate to address the situation.

Opponents of the new liturgy responded quickly to the appointment of the new papal delegate, expressing concern that Archbishop Vasil had studied with Archbishop Thazhath and would likely continue to press for adoption of the liturgical changes.

The Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly is the largest see in the Syro-Malabar Church, which is centered in India’s Kerela state and traces its origin to the missionary work of St. Thomas the Apostle. With over 4 million faithful, and growing rapidly, the Syro-Malabar Church rivals the Ukrainian Catholic Church as the largest Eastern Church in communion with Rome.

 

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Further information:

• Jesuit named papal delegate to diocese at heart of ‘liturgy war’ (Pillar)
• Pope taps delegate to try to heal a nasty fracture in India’s Syro-Malabar Church (Crux)