The bishops - originally from the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, the epicentre of the schism - launched an appeal to avoid a schism, contesting the circular letter issued by the Major Archbishop requiring priests to adapt to the unified rite by 3 July. "A hasty choice and contrary to the spirit of Vatican II. Pope Francis asked us for unity through dialogue".
A new ultimatum to the rebels by Major Archbishop Thattil and the apostolic administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese. The date chosen is that of the feast of the Apostle Thomas, to whose descendants Syriac-rite Christians refer. The harsh retort by Almaya Munnettam, the group that most vehemently rejects the liturgical solution adopted by the local Synod in 2021: copies of the circular were burnt in front of the bishop's csa.
Bishop Aldo Berardi, head of the vicariate that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, comments on Pope Francis' decision to grant the Syro-Malabar Church jurisdiction over Indian migrants. "This is not a secondary element, it concerns areas that go beyond rituals" and will have to be defined. The problem of places of worship, relations with the State and interlocution with the Muslim world. "Too many voices" can create "confusion".
Receiving in audience a delegation led by the new Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, the pontiff publicly expressed his assent to a request made for years by the Churches of the East, especially for their faithful in the Persian Gulf. A new harsh warning on the divisions around the liturgy in Kerala: "Discussing celebratory details while disrespecting unity is incompatible with the Christian faith.
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