Syro-Malabar Church Priests Agree to Truce with Diocesan Leadership to End Protest

Priests in the Syro-Malabar Church’s Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly ended a protest outside the archbishop’s residence in Kochi after agreeing to a truce with the new diocesan leadership. The group of 21 priests had begun a prayer vigil and fast on 9 January, protesting disciplinary actions against clergy who opposed the “uniform rite” of the Syro-Malabar liturgy. They also demanded the removal of priests appointed to the diocesan curia by the former apostolic administrator, Bishop Bosco Puthur.

The protest escalated on 11 January when police arrested 20 priests who resisted removal from the archbishop’s residence. Footage of the confrontation circulated online, drawing crowds to the protests around the entrance gate. A total of 200 others were arrested during the unrest. A police sub-inspector alleged the priests had attacked him, tearing his uniform and causing him injuries, while the priests reported that ten of them sustained injuries in the clash.

At a meeting overnight on Sunday, the priests agreed to end their protests after Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, the newly-appointed vicar and apostolic administrator, agreed to some of their demands and promised further talks on 20 January. The synod, which met in Kochi from 6-11 January, had appointed Archbishop Pamplany following Bishop Puthur’s resignation in September. Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, the Syro-Malabar primate, nominally heads the archeparchy.

After a four-hour meeting with Pamplany and the district collector, the protesters issued a statement agreeing to return to their parishes under the understanding that the archeparchy would cease disciplinary proceedings against priests and replace the staff of its curial bodies. They also agreed to remove police from the archbishop’s house by 20 January, according to Riju Kanjookaran, a lay leader of the group. The protesting priests signed an agreement to this effect.

Fr Joyce Kaithakottil, a priest who began the protests with a three-day hunger strike from January 7, said the demonstrations were meant to “awaken the voice of morality against misuse of power.” The dispute between clergy and the hierarchy originated in the synod’s order in 2021 that all of its churches adopt a uniform rite, which some clergy opposed. The conflict highlights tensions within the Syro-Malabar Church over liturgical practices and leadership decisions.

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