Cardinal Vithayathil Demands Countrywide Jurisdiction For Indian Rites
Nov 22, 2007
Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil says the simmering inter-rite tension in the Indian Church can end only if the Vatican grants the two Oriental rites countrywide jurisdiction.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (UCAN, November 15, 2007) -- Cardinal Vithayathil, archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, heads the Syro-Malabar Church (SMC) as its major archbishop. The SMC, the smaller Syro-Malankara Church and the Latin-rite Church together make up the Indian Catholic Church.
The Latin rite follows the Roman liturgy introduced by European missioners in the 15th century, while the two Oriental rites follow Syrian Church traditions and trace their origins to Saint Thomas the Apostle.
Currently, the Syro-Malabar Church has jurisdiction only over SMC Catholics in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where both Oriental rites are based.
Cardinal Vithayathil says ignorance among the Latin clergy and laity about the rights of the Oriental Churches is the main reason for the lingering tension in the Indian Church.
In an interview that his archdiocese's weekly publication, Sathyadeepam (lamp of truth), published on Nov. 10, the cardinal noted that even the Holy See at one time regarded the Latin rite as superior, since it is the pope's rite. "But the Second Vatican Council has changed all these attitudes. Now, all ritual Churches, whether Latin or Oriental, are of equal dignity," the Redemptorist cardinal asserted.
The Second Vatican Council, he elaborated, wanted the Oriental Churches to flourish "with fresh apostolic vigor" and fulfill their missionary task. "Do you think the Vatican would want to keep the Oriental Churches as mummified museum pieces?" the cardinal asked, referring to Latin prelates insistence on confining the Oriental jurisdiction to Kerala alone.
Cardinal Vithayathil expressed dismay over what he said was the Vatican's laid-back approach to the rite problem. The SMC synod, he added, has petitioned the Vatican several times for jurisdiction over its people outside Kerala.
"The Holy See seems to prefer the bishops of India settle our inter-ritual problems. I do not know what pressures are mounting on the Holy See not to concede to (our) just demands," the SMC leader added.
Cardinal Vithayathil recalled that in 1987, Pope John Paul II had urged the Indian bishops to educate their clergy, Religious and laypeople on the rights of the ritual Churches.
The same pope reiterated this demand when the Indian Latin bishops met him two years later. "Unfortunately this education has not taken place. That is the main cause for the unfortunate happenings in Latin dioceses outside Kerala," the cardinal explained.
According to the cardinal, members of his Church are increasingly becoming aware of the rights granted by the Second Vatican Council and the two codes of canon law, one for the Latin Church and one for the Oriental Churches.
He regretted a recent incident in which some Syro-Malabar Catholics in Delhi archdiocese had to celebrate Sunday Mass inside a Hindu temple complex. The local Latin parish, where they used to hold the service, denied them permission to continue as had been arranged.
The Oriental and Latin bishops have discussed inter-ritual matters for the past 40 years, the cardinal pointed out, but "the progress has been extremely slow with regard to accepting the claims of the Orientals."
The SMC leader refuted charges that Syro-Malabar bishops and clergy divide the laity in the name of rites. "Disunity is caused not because of the diversity of the ritual Churches in the same place, but because of the evils of envy, unhealthy competition and lack of charity," he suggested.
Cardinal Vithayathil went on to say many Latin bishops fear they would lose support if Oriental dioceses came up in their territory. According to him, his Church contributes 70 percent of Church personnel for the Latin dioceses in the country.
He dismissed as baseless the Latin-rite prelates' argument that different rites give a counter-witness to the Gospel in India, where Catholics form only 1.8 percent of the population. The country has "ample room" for various Churches to evangelize without rivalry or confusion, he countered.
The cardinal wants all Churches to be given jurisdiction over their people throughout India as soon as possible. Such a move, with some Vatican-approved norms, would prevent confusion and rivalry among the rites, he said.
Cardinal Vithayathil Demands Countrywide Jurisdiction For Indian Rites