The Syro-Malabar Church, presided over by Cardinal George Alencherry, experienced the intense moment of a synod with the thirty-five dioceses that form this Church. Beyond all the issues addressed, there is this thorny problem of liturgical conflicts. During the conclusions of the synod of bishops on Friday, August 27, 2021, a liturgical reform was decided for this entire Eastern Catholic Church. But the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, against the approval of thirty-four dioceses, rejected the conclusions of the work. And yet, it is since 1999 that a synod had suggested a single liturgy which consists of turning towards the east or towards the altar only facing the assembly during certain parts of the mass. But to fully understand these divergences, it is advisable to go back to the 16th century of our era. We will talk about it later.
This decades-old difficulty resulted in the basilica being closed for more than 200 days. It was at the end of the last synod, on June 20, 2023, that the Syro-Malabar Church asked the Sovereign Pontiff for a delegate for the resistant diocese. A mass is planned at the open basilica but in a unified rite. Journin M.
