The synod of Syro-Malabar Church elected Bishop Raphael Thattil of Shamshabad its new major archbishop, replacing Cardinal George Alencherry who resigned in December.
The Vatican approved his appointment ahead of the announcement on 10 January, and Pope Francis prayed for the Church’s “unity, fidelity and mission” in his letter of confirmation.
The Syro-Malabar Church is one of 23 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See.
In his first message as major archbishop, Thattil called on the Church to “stand together and work together”, saying he wished to “belong to everyone” as archbishop.
“I will depend on God’s guidance and the cooperation of bishops, priests and lay people to carry out my responsibilities,” he said.
Thattil becomes Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, the Church’s primatial see, which has been the site of a bitter dispute over the Syro-Malabar liturgy, the Holy Qurbana.
Local priests who oppose the “uniform rite” introduced by the synod in 2021 – where the priest faces ad orientem for the liturgy of the Eucharist – initially welcomed Thattil’s appointment, praising his belief in “mutual dialogue”.
Reports said that he had received a delegation of opponents of the uniform rite at the major archbishop’s residence.
“He is a bishop who is always friendly with priests and people,” Fr Jose Vailikodath told the Crux news agency. “The focus of the new leadership should be on finding a solution to such sufferings that the archdiocese is experiencing, both spiritually and materially.”
However, the synod which elected Thattil also signed a joint letter calling on the archeparchy to accept the uniform rite and “bear witness to the unity of the Catholic Church disregarding the differences of opinion”.
Bishop Bosco Puthur, the newly-appointed apostolic administrator of the archeparchy, issued a letter to all parishes on 15 January directing them to accept the synod’s instructions.
Riju Kanjookaran of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency, which opposes the reformed liturgy, said that Archbishop Thattil “had promised to listen to us and find an amicable solution, but the synod under him has now taken a different stand”.
“We all expected the new major archbishop would address the issue but now he too is following the footsteps of his predecessor,” Kanjookaran told UCA News.