What to Make of Conflicts Within the Church in India?

Mathew Jacob –

There are a series of conflicts in the Catholic Church in India these days.  For one, Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias and Archbishop Peter Machado had to step in to issue clarifications about a perceived matter with Latin-rite Bishop William of Mysore. Cardinal Gracias had to issue a video statement over the controversy of his purported talk with the Mysore Bishop. The issue in Mysore has been festering for some years now.

There is also another serious issue raging within the Syro-Malabar church about a certain diocese not following the instructions of the Holy Father in letter and spirit.

Coming as I do from a family with Syrian Catholic roots and settled in Bangalore for decades, we attend the Latin Church as we have been doing right from the time we settled, and the ripples there,  as well as in the Syro-Malabar Church are being felt by us.  This adds to the conflict sometimes. There are suggestions to join the nearest Syro-Malabar Church.  We have resisted that so far, as we are comfortable with the status quo, and English is the language we are most comfortable with, as a family.  There are many others like us, and we sometimes feel, why there are so many differences in the Catholic Church, which should be one unified body.

Issues of land deals to uniform Mass code have raised conflicts in Kerala’s Syro-Malabar Church. On July 25, with the Vatican authorities reportedly asked Archbishop Antony Kariyil to step down as the apostolic administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese — a move that did not sit well with a section of priests, leading to a series of protests.’ In March, a group of laity protested by burning the copies of letters issued by Cardinal Alencherry and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation of the Oriental Churches.

All these does not augur well for the church and for the Catholic community in India in general and Kerala in particular.

When the media reports come up on various social media channels it becomes challenging to explain to our children at home what the conflicts are about, when they ask.  As a parent, my own Faith gets shaken up at times on seeing or reading these media reports, and I wonder about the impact on my own children’s Faith which is in a state of formation.   A recent trip to Kerala gave me the impression that indeed the Faith of the laity, especially the youth, could get impacted if these issues continue to drag on and are not settled.

It is tempting at times to give in to the chatter and also comment about the issue.  In fact, I must confess, that I am guilty of this.  But it is a sin, as no matter what the shepherd does, he is still a shepherd – Christ to us.

I am reminded of the time that the great St Francis of Assisi came to a town and was face to face with a Priest involved in a scandalous affair.  All had expected St Francis to chastise the priest, instead, he knelt before him and kissed the Priest’s hands, saying these are the hands that have held Christ., and Christ comes to us through these hands ( in the Eucharist). St. Francis said, “If I were to meet at the same time some saint coming down from heaven and any poor little priest, I would first pay my respects to the priest and proceed to kiss his hands first. I would say, ‘Ah, just a moment St. Lawrence, because this person’s hands handle the Word of Life and possess something that is more than human. These hands have touched my Lord, and no matter what they be like, they could not soil Him or lessen His virtue . . . To honour the Lord, honour His minister . . . He can be bad for himself, but for me he is good.”

This example shows me that this is to be my approach too, this is the attitude I must have in these instances.  I must not comment on any actions that seem incomprehensible to me, but must pray for the Shepherds involve and bless them always, and for our great Catholic Church in India to remain united always in accordance and in harmony with the wishes of the Holy Father.