A crucial synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church will begin in Kochi on January 08 (Monday).
The sole agenda before the 32nd synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church is to elect the major archbishop, said a communication issued by Bishop Sebastian Vaniapurackal, administrator of the church, on Sunday. The synod will be held at the St. Thomas Mount church headquarters, Kakkanad, near Kochi.
“Other issues will be discussed at a synod of bishops to be convened officially by the new major archbishop,” said Bishop Vaniapurackal in his communication. He appealed to the faithful to pray for the synod so that the bishops elected the most suitable person to lead the Syro-Malabar Church.
Of the 65 bishops in the Syro-Malabar Church, 53 have voting rights, including 34 who are archbishops or bishops and seven auxiliaries. There is also a curia bishop and ab aspostolic visitor. There are 22, who have stepped down from their administrative positions, including a major archbishop and bishops. From among them, 10 have the voting rights.
The election of a new major archbishop has been necessitated after former Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry stepped down in early December. Since then Bishop Vaniapurackal has held charge as aspostolic administrator and will continue until a new major archbishop is elected.
Crucial phase
The election of the new major archbishop comes at a crucial phase in the history of the Syro-Malabar Church, an independent entity in communion with Rome and has a membership of around five million. Division runs deep in the church over Mass liturgy, which has pitted the vast majority of lay members and clerics in Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese against the synod of the Church.
The new major archbishop will be in an unenviable position negotiating peace, preventing a possible split and winning Rome’s confidence over the ability of the sui iuris church to govern itself a century after it was raised as a vicariate with headquarters in Ernakulam.
