The Syro-Malabar Church has decided to approach the State Police after a “fake circular” emerged on Wednesday in the name of Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil. Papers were being prepared seeking a formal inquiry into the incident, said Father Antony Vadakkekara, official spokesman of the Church.
In a statement to the press earlier, Father Vadakkekara said Circular 5/24 dated June 15, 2024 from Archbishop Thattil was fake. It carries what looks like the signature of the major archbishop, and instructions at its end said it must be read out in churches on June 23, Sunday.
Father Vadakkekara’s statement said: “It has come to the notice of the Church authorities that a circular in the name of the major archbishop is being spread via social media. The circular contains matters related to celebration of the unified Mass from July 3. But the circular is meant to mislead the faithful in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese. The faithful are advised to be alert. Those who engage in such activities will face legal procedures.”
The “fake circular” deals with the finer points of the Syrian Catholic Mass celebration and does not refer to the official joint circular issued earlier by the Church authorities setting the deadline for adopting the unified synod Mass from July 3.
The emergence of the circular on Wednesday, revealed as fake during the course of the day, startled a community of the faithful already anxious about the outcome of the joint circular issued by the Major Archbishop and Apostolic Administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 ordering the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly to adopt the unified synod Mass from July 3. The circular is scheduled to be read out in churches during the Sunday Mass on June 16.
The official circular triggered a wave of protests from the rebel group of priests and lay people, who warned that the full people-facing Mass would continue even after the July 3 deadline. But the groups of lay people supporting the synod’s official decision demanded that the content of the June 9 circular be carried out in letter and spirit to maintain the unity and integrity of the Church.
The July 3 deadline is for adopting the Mass liturgy in which the celebrant faces the congregation during the first phase, turns to the altar during the consecration of the eucharist and again turns to the congregation for the final blessing. But the rebel group has demanded the current custom of a full congregation-facing Mass be continued.
