Warning of Possible Schism of Over 400 Priests in the Syro-Malabar Church of Kerala, India

 Eastern Rite, Syro-Malabar Catholics, in India, are possibly in danger of schism with the Catholic Church. A Vatican canonist indicated that over 400 Syro-Malabar priests may be excommunicated in the coming days for rejecting liturgical reforms as issued by their Synod and supported by Pope Francis.

The pope tried to convince the members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church to avoid a fall.

However, the Vatican canonist says the Catholic Church is on the verge of a schism similar to the one /of the Priestly Society of Pius X (SSPX) who were excommunicated about 35 years ago. 

Rev. Pablo Gefaell Chamochín, of the Opus Dei, teacher of canon law in Rome, and consultant for the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, spoke to journalists on Monday, December 18th. He said the split with the Holy See implicates about 400 priests of Syro-Malabar Church in South India's state of Kerala. They are in danger of being excommunicated around Christmas. 

The Spanish priest, Fr. Gefaell, age 63, said the excommunications concern priests of the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly in Kerala who have decided not to obey a liturgical reform decided by the Church's Synod in 1999 and in force since 2021.

The reform was made to stop decades-long ongoing liturgical of the Mass celebrated according to the Eastern tradition, following the Chaldean rite, and those wishing, on the contrary, to "Latinize" this way of celebrating Mass. 

The Syro-Malabar church belongs to the 23 Sui Juris Churches of the Eastern Rite and they are part of the Chaldean rite. Their Mass called "Holy Qurbana" normally faces the altar or East, however, some Catholic priests want to face the people in imitation of the Latin Rite. Their synod voted to keep the custom of facing the altar and Pope Francis agreed with their decision to face the East. The eparchy (similar to diocese) of Ernakulam-Angamly, with 655,000 faithful, is resisting the reform. 

In his video appeal Pope Francis said, “By Christmas, in the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, as throughout the Syro-Malabar Church, may Qurbana (Mass) be celebrated in communion according to the directions of the synod,” Pope Francis stated. “Please do not continue to wound the body of Christ! Do not separate yourselves from it. And even though there have been some grievances against you, forgive them with generosity. May the Eucharist be the model of your unity.

Edited from La Croix - Image Flickr © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk