Catholics in the Syro-Malabar Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese are intensifying their call for the reopening of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica for Eucharistic celebrations
Newsroom (25/08/2025, Gaudium Press ) Catholics in the Syro-Malabar Church’s Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in Kerala, India, are intensifying their call for the reopening of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica for Eucharistic celebrations, which has remained closed for nearly three years despite a recent resolution to a contentious liturgical dispute. The demand comes as the Church’s Synod of Bishops, its highest decision-making body, nears the conclusion of its 10-day session on Aug. 29, 2025.
Approximately 1,500 Catholics from parishes across the archdiocese gathered outside the cathedral in a peaceful demonstration, urging the Synod to restore normal parish activities, including daily Mass. “We urge the Synod of Bishops to reopen the cathedral for Eucharistic celebrations immediately,” said Riju Kanjookaran, spokesperson for the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT), a coalition of priests, religious, and laity leading the protest.
The cathedral, the seat of Archbishop Raphael Thattil, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, has been shuttered for Eucharistic celebrations since Nov. 22, 2022, following a heated dispute over the form of liturgy to be used during Mass. The conflict centered on the Synod-approved liturgy, which required priests to face the altar during the Eucharistic prayer, a practice opposed by most priests and lay Catholics in the archdiocese who preferred the congregation-facing orientation.
Tensions escalated in 2022 when clashes between opposing groups disrupted a Mass inside the cathedral, prompting police intervention and the subsequent closure of the church for Eucharistic services. While other sacraments continue to be administered, the absence of Mass has left the cathedral, also a functioning parish, in an unprecedented stalemate. “It is 1,000 days since a Mass was celebrated in the cathedral,” Kanjookaran noted, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
The Syro-Malabar Church, one of the largest Eastern Rite Catholic churches, resolved the liturgical dispute in July 2025, allowing priests in the archdiocese to continue celebrating Mass facing the congregation, provided they observe the Synod-approved liturgy on Sundays and major feast days. Most parishes implemented the settlement by July 3, but the cathedral remains closed, with a few unresolved police cases cited as a barrier.
Father Kuriakose Mundadan, secretary of the archdiocese’s presbytery council, emphasized the parishioners’ rights, stating, “The cathedral is also a parish. The normal parish activities, including daily Mass, are suspended now. Catholics have a right to Mass.” He expressed confidence that the police cases could be resolved swiftly if the bishops make a decisive move at the ongoing Synod, which includes 52 of the Church’s 65 bishops from 35 dioceses.
However, a Church source, speaking anonymously to UCA News, revealed internal resistance among the bishops. “The majority of them do not favor implementing the settlement formula,” the source said, citing concerns that allowing daily Masses with a non-Synod-approved liturgy in the cathedral, the seat of the Church’s head, could undermine ecclesiastical authority.
The AMT and other leaders are pressing the Synod to announce an end to the cathedral’s closure before the session concludes. “The bishops should make the decision in this Synod to end this stalemate,” Mundadan urged.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Syro-Malabar Church were unsuccessful, as Father Tom Oilkkarott, the Church’s spokesperson, was unavailable for comment.
As the Synod’s deliberations draw to a close, the faithful of Ernakulam-Angamaly await a resolution that could restore Eucharistic celebrations to their cathedral, signaling an end to one of the most protracted disputes in the Syro-Malabar Church’s recent history.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News
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