Pope had a special relationship with Syro-Malabar Church, says Major Archbishop

Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil of the Syro-Malabar Church, the second largest among Eastern Rite churches in full communion with Rome, recalled with great affection the special relationship Pope Francis shared with the Church in India, especially with the Syro-Malabar Church.
Archbishop Thattil told mediapersons here that the Pope entrusted the Syro-Malabar Church with the great responsibility for pastoral care. The Pope took note of the large number of immigrant Syro-Malabar Christians and supported the pastoral care extended to them by the Church in different parts of the world.
His special relationship with the approximately five million-strong Syro-Malabar Church is evident from his close involvement with the Church, especially after discontent over adoption of a common Mass liturgy broke out into the public sphere.
Unified Mass row
While the Pope kept abreast of the developments, his involvement was evident from his video message in early December 2023 in which he appealed to the priests, religious and the lay faithful in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese to sink differences, to obey the decision of the synod, and to build bridges and unity. He also warned as a father, of disciplinary action against disobedience, which would be resorted to with great pain. The Pope had appealed to the group in the archdiocese opposed to the synod decision for the unified Mass to adopt it by Christmas 2023 as one body of the Church. Act as one Church and not as a faction, the Pope had said.
The Pope recognised and repeatedly emphasised the unique heritage, tradition of faith and the great role of the Syro-Malabar Church in the body of the universal Church. His elevation of George Koovakkad, Catholic priest of the Syro-Malabar Church, as Cardinal is a sign of the special status accorded to the Syro-Malabar Church. He was the first priest from India to have been raised to a Cardinal.
Senior priest Kuriakose Mundadan, who has stood firm in demanding that the synod Mass be rejected, said the Pope may have been misled on the affairs of the Syro-Malabar Church when he appealed for adoption of the synod Mass. He also said that Pope Francis did not exclude anybody but was inclusive in his approach.
'Solace to refugees'
Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, vicar of the major archbishop for the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, said that the Pope held fast to his view that the Church should be for the poor. He was a solace to millions of refugees all over the world.
Former Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry said that the world will remember Pope Francis as the Pope of Mercy. He never kept anybody away and mercy was the face of his mission as the head of the Church.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Mint

20 hours ago

• Mint

Pope Leo XIV flags AI impact on kids intellectual and spiritual development

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that artificial intelligence could negatively impact the intellectual, neurological and spiritual development of young people as he pressed one of the priorities of his young pontificate. History's first American pope sent a message to a conference of AI and ethics, part of which was taking place in the Vatican in a sign of the Holy See's concern for the new technologies and what they mean for humanity. In the message, Leo said any further development of AI must be evaluated according to the 'superior ethical criterion' of the need to safeguard the dignity of each human being while respecting the diversity of the world's population. He warned specifically that new generations are most at risk given they have never had such quick access to information. 'All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,' he said in the message. 'Society's well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities,' and not allow them to confuse mere access to data with intelligence. 'In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data,' he said. Leo, who was elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has identified AI as one of the most critical matters facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labor. He has explained his concern for AI by invoking his namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That Leo was pope during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and made the plight of workers, and the need to guarantee their rights and dignity, a key priority. Toward the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it. Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines.

Time of India

2 days ago

• Time of India

Priests' meet proposes solution to ongoing Holy Mass dispute

1 2 3 4 Kochi: A crucial meeting of priests led by major archbishop Raphael Thattil and his vicar Mar Joseph Pamplani on Thursday proposed a solution to the ongoing Holy Mass (liturgical) dispute in Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese. "As per the discussions, it was agreed by all parties to hold unified mass on Sundays between 5.30am and 10.30am and between 3.30pm and 6pm," Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese Presbyteral Council Secretary Fr Kuriakose Mundadan told TOI. Mundadan said 315 priests attended the meeting held at the Renewal Centre in Kaloor. All issues relating to liturgy were discussed at the meeting held with police protection. "The discussions ran from 10.30am to 5pm, during which several priests expressed their deep concerns and anxieties regarding the liturgical conflict. The meeting concluded with a general agreement among bishops and priests to implement a formulaic resolution before July 3," said Mundadan. A press release issued by the Archdiocese Protection Council said the proposals put forward by Pamplani had the knowledge and approval of both the Synod of Bishops and the Vatican's Dicastery for Eastern Churches. "In his keynote address, Thattil stressed the importance of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese within the Syro-Malabar Church and highlighted the urgent need for resolving the current liturgical crisis," stated the press note.

The Hindu

2 days ago

• The Hindu

One Church, One Mass movement members lay siege to Syro-Malabar Church headquarters in Kerala

Members of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, under the banner of One Church, One Mass movement, laid siege to Mount St. Thomas, the headquarters of the Church, on Thursday (June 19, 2025) morning seeking the resignation of Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil and Vicar of the Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany. Alleging that the two were taking 'an anti-Church stand', the protestors said the duo also permitted priests facing 'disciplinary action' to attend a meeting of priests being held on the day at Renewal Centre at Kaloor. The protestors blocked the two Church leaders in front of Mount St. Thomas. The members further alleged that the Church leadership failed to implement the directives of a special tribunal that had been set up as instructed by the Vatican. In this situation, the Synod of the Church must be dismissed and administrator rule be introduced by the Vatican, according to a release. A section of women members of the Church have in turn laid siege to the Major Archbishop's house, it added.