Church condemns protest against Pamplany

Kochi: The Syro Malabar Church stated that the protest and verbal abuse by a group claiming to be church supporters against the major archbishop's vicar mar Joseph Pamplany at the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese headquarters was highly condemnable. The Church emphasised that such disrespectful behaviour towards senior clergy brings public disrepute to the Church. Those who undermine Christian love and mutual respect in disagreements may be seen as obstructing the peace efforts of the Syro-Malabar Bishops' synod.

The statement added that viewing the peace efforts and dialogues led by mar Pamplany with suspicion, and spreading misinformation to discredit him, contradicts the behaviour expected from ‘church supporters'. The efforts to implement a unified Holy Mass format across the Church, and the concessions provided to resolve conflicts, are decisions made collectively by the Syro-Malabar Bishops' synod, not solely by archbishop Pamplany. Misrepresenting these as his unilateral decisions is misleading, the Church statement said.

The concessions offered by the synod to avoid disciplinary actions should not be misused to attack mar Pamplany. Protest methods that oppose Christian values and bring shame to the Christian community undermine our collective responsibility to establish unity and peace. In his role as the major archbishop's vicar, Pamplany is working to fully implement the unified Holy Mass format in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese as per the synod's decision. It is essential for everyone to respond to these actions with restraint and tolerance.

Therefore, it is urged that the issues be understood ecclesiastically and that mar Pamplany, who is making sacrificial efforts for resolution, be given the appropriate space and support, the statement said. Meanwhile, Athiroopatha Samrakshana Samithi, a body of archdiocesan priests, stated that the only option for the authorities as the first step towards peace was to replace the current curia members.

The major archbishop must promptly appoint an inquiry commission to investigate the uprising conducted by those claiming to be ‘church supporters' and the curia members against the apostolic vicar and punish the culprits as an example, the priests said in a statement.