Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church challenge excommunication warning: a call for unity

In a bold move, five bishops of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church have openly criticized a recent circular from their church head threatening excommunication for priests in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly who are protesting against changes in the practices of Holy Mass . The bishops claim that the circular, which was jointly issued on June 9, 2024 by the head of the Syro-Malabar Church, Raphael Thattil and its Apostolic Administrator Bosco Puthur, harkens back to the “medieval culture of the Church.”

The five bishops, namely Ephrem Nariculam, Jose Chittooparambil CMI, Jose Puthenveettil, Kuriakose Bharanikulangara and Sebastian Adayanthrath, expressed their concerns in a dissenting note. They emphasized that excommunication is a concept largely considered outdated after the Second Vatican Council, and questioned the lack of synod consultation before issuing such a serious directive.

This dissent comes as the Syro-Malabar Church has issued an ultimatum to priests in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly to adopt a uniform Holy Mass from July 3, 2024. practices.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)