Vicar appointed by Syro-Malabar Synod returns to Ernakulam-Angamaly

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the apostolic administrator he appointed and the appointment of a new vicar, Archbishop Pamplany, for the community at the heart of the lengthy and bitter liturgical clash that has divided this Eastern-rite Catholic Church. In his speech to the Synod, the newly appointed Cardinal Koovakkad pointed out the primacy of charity to his fellow Syro-Malabar bishops.

Kochi (AsiaNews) - The Indian archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, at the centre of the clash that has divided the Syro-Malabar Church for some years now over the issue of the liturgy, has a new leader.

At the end of a session of the Synod of Bishops of this ancient Eastern-rite Catholic Church deeply rooted in the State of Kerala, the Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil - who as such is the Metropolitan of Ernakulam-Angamaly - appointed Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, who already holds the ministry of Archbishop of Tellicherry, as his vicar for this archieparchy.

This choice - taken by the Synod - was confirmed by Pope Francis, who accepted the resignation of Bishop Bosco Puthur, who a little over a year ago had been appointed by the pontiff as apostolic administrator for this Syro-Malabar community whose clergy is firmly opposed to the ‘unified rite’ of Eucharistic celebration adopted by the other dioceses in 2021.

Bosco Puthur - who has been strongly contested by the local clergy in recent months - had handed his mandate back into the hands of the pope in September for health reasons.

With the acceptance of the apostolic administrator's resignation, therefore, the governance of the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly was once again entrusted to the Major Archbishop who - as his predecessor, Card. George Alencherry with Archbishop Antony Kariyil - appointed a vicar for the pastoral leadership of this community.

At the same time, however, Archbishop Cyril Vasil of Slovakia will continue to serve as papal delegate for the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.

Born in 1969, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany was ordained a priest in 1997. He pursued higher studies in Sacred Scripture and received his doctorate from the University of Leuven. He was elected auxiliary bishop of Tellicherry on 1 September 2017 and consecrated on 8 November 2017.

He became Metropolitan Archbishop of Tellicherry on 22 April 2022. Archbishop Pamplany is currently secretary of the Synod of the Malabar Church and a member of its permanent council.

It will now fall to him, therefore, to heal the wound that has long shaken the Syro-Malabar Church, repeatedly called upon by Francis to rediscover unity in charity.

And in this sense it was significant at the Synod - held these days in the presence of the 54 bishops who carry out their ministry in India and around the world - the intervention of Card. George Koovakkad, the priest from this Eastern-rite Church, a close collaborator of the pontiff for the organisation of his travels, whom the pope wanted to include among the new cardinals created in the recent consistory in December.

In his speech before his fellow Syro-Malabar bishops, the cardinal emphasised that the Church cannot move forward without being ready to listen to the voice of the voiceless, without stepping forward to embrace the marginalised and without recognising the voices of the isolated and isolated. He recalled Pope Francis' invitation to anoint the wounded, in a “field hospital” Church.

Koovakkad suggested strengthening cooperation between dioceses and generously helping students with education expenses, as well as expanding study and work opportunities to promote commitment to the Church in children and families. Finally, he also invited the Syro-Malabar community to enter the Jubilee Year as pilgrims of hope, under the guidance of the Christian hope that never disappoints.

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