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Herald Malaysia
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
First lay synod in India's Eastern Church seeks greater represention
First lay synod in India's Eastern Church seeks greater represention Some 300 specially invited delegates also resolved to pursue the formation of a 'Church Synod' in the Syro-Malabar Church Aug 19, 2025 Delegates participating in a structured group discussion during the Laity Synod on Aug. 15-16 at the Renewal Center in Kaloor, Ernakulam district, in the southern Indian state of Kerala. (Photo: Facebook) A lay group in an Eastern Rite archdiocese has demanded greater representation of lay people in the India-based Church's decision-making bodies after concluding its first-ever 'Almaya Synod' (lay synod). Around 300 invited delegates from the Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church's dioceses in southern Kerala state participated in the synod on Aug. 15-16 at the Renewal Center in Kaloor, Ernakulam district. Almaya Munnettam (meaning 'lay forward'), a group of lay Catholics in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, which organized the event, stated that the extraordinary synod was 'unprecedented in the history of the Catholic Church" as it preceded the Synod of Bishops, the top decision-making body of the Church. 'It imbibed the spirit of the Vatican document on 'Synod on Synodality 2024' which calls for encouraging voices of the laity, including women and marginalized groups, among others, to be heard in matters within the Church,' it claimed. In a statement on Aug. 16, Almaya Munnettam said the special synod resolved to seek 50 percent representation for laity, with women forming up to 40 percent of it, in every decision-making body of the Church. 'Their representation should be through election, and there shall be no nominee from a bishop,' the statement demanded, adding this would make the Church's functioning 'more transparent and vibrant.' The synod of laity also resolved to pursue the formation of a 'Church Synod' in the Syro-Malabar Church, involving laity, priests, religious, and other stakeholders. Currently, 'in the Syro-Malabar Church, there is only a Synod of Bishops, which takes all the decisions for the laity, priests and religious, which is not good for a Synodal Church,' the statement noted. The lay group also sought the formation of diocesan synods, which would involve all stakeholders in a diocese, to decentralize the Church's functioning at the local level. It also called for structural changes in the Church, including the introduction of manuals and other guiding rules and regulations to accommodate everyone as part of the same Church. The laity synod has also appointed a 16-member committee of lay persons to conduct a thorough study on the structural changes necessary to improve the Church's functioning. 'The findings of the committee will be discussed in detail in the next laity synod,' says Riju Kanjookaran, the spokesperson of the Almaya Munnettam. Kanjookaran told UCA News on Aug. 18 that this was the first such synod of lay people, and the resolutions passed will be handed over to the bishops. Some 52 bishops from the Syro-Malabar Church are congregating at Mount St. Thomas, its headquarters, for the 33rd Synod of Bishops on Aug. 18-29. Kanjookaran said there was confusion among some people that the laity synod was a rebel synod opposing the Bishops' Synod, which was not right. 'Such a perception is wrong. The laity synod was held based on the Vatican document on Synod on Synodality 2024 to fulfill the vision of late Pope Francis,' he clarified. The Syro-Malabar Church, with nearly five million Catholics, is the second-largest among the 23 Oriental Churches in full communion with the Vatican. The Synod of Bishops has so far not responded to the first-ever synod of lay people in the
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
As Syro-Malabar Church Synod commences, CMI launches stinging attack on bishops over liturgical dispute
As the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church bagan at the church headquarters on Monday, the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) , regarded as the largest clerical congregation under the Church has launched a stinging attack on the bishops, accusing them of defying the Pope's order to implement the unified liturgy. An article published in the latest edition of Karmmela Kusumam, an official publication of the CMI Congregation, criticised the bishops for the abrupt suspension of the special tribunal established in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese. 'Even those condemned to death are granted, by the judge, a final opportunity to speak before the verdict is carried out. But in stark contrast, you chose to suspend the functioning of the special tribunal in Ernakulam–Angamaly without the slightest sense of justice. No show-cause notices, no warnings were issued. What unfolded instead was sheer theatrics by first paralysing the tribunal without a second thought and then retracting the decision when it became clear that you had cornered yourselves,' the article said. The publication also accused the bishops of turning their backs on `a large community of faithful in Ernakulam–Angamaly' who demanded the Holy Mass in its rightful form. 'It is you, the bishops, who sowed the seeds of division and nurtured them until they grew within the Church. If you had truly resolved to implement the unified Mass, you could and should have done so with resolve, conviction and courage. It was not the faithful who demanded changes to the Qurbana. It was you who revised it, you who approved it unanimously and it is you who now stand divided,' it added. Reacting to the publication, Almaya Munnettom, a lay forum from the Ernakulam–Angamaly Archdiocese, dismissed it as an attempt driven by vested interests. 'This publication, brought out by the Thiruvananthapuram Province of the CMI Congregation, is clearly intended to serve the interests of a priest who was part of the suspended tribunal. Neither the laity nor the prelate are concerned about anything mentioned in that article,' said Riju Kanjookaran, coordinator of the outfit.
