MUMBAI, India – A hunger strike by several priests of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Rite has been condemned by the Eastern Church’s synod.

Father Joyce Kaithakottil of the Archdiocese Ernakulam-Angamaly led the three-day fast and prayer program near St. George Cathedral Church in Angamaly on Tuesday in support of the traditional method of celebrating Mass in the archdiocese.

In 2021, the synod of the Syro-Malabar Church based in Kerala decided to adopt a uniform mode of celebrating the liturgy, which priests face the people during the Liturgy of the Word and then the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, turning around again to address the congregation after communion.

While virtually all of the Church’s dioceses have adopted the new system, clergy and laity in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, by far the largest Syro-Malabar jurisdiction, have rejected it, arguing that facing the people throughout the Mass is a legitimate liturgical variation and one more consistent with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

“The priests, the religious and laity in the archdiocese questioned the validity of the decision of the synod,” said Father Kuriakose Mundadan, the press officer of the local priests’ council.

“The Synod violated the procedure of the liturgical decision, Pope Francis was misguided by the Synod that he even wrote factual error in his first message on July 3, 2021 on the implementation of the Synod form of Holy Mass,” he told Crux.

“Though there are enough reasons for the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly not to accept the new form of celebration. The Synod of Syro-Malabar Church with the support of the Oriental Congregation do their best to impose this decision in the archdiocese. But the priests, religious and laity resist them up to the fasting and protest,” the priest continued.

“The Apostolic administrator with the support of the some of the Synodal bishops appointed a curia with priests of criminal background to impose their decision in whatever way possible in the archdiocese. This has aggravated the present crisis. The fasting of Father Joyce Kaithakottil is to be seen in this background,” Mundadan said.

However a statement from Father Antony Vadakkekara of the Sryo-Malabar Church issued an official statement condemning the hunger strike.

“The Syro-Malabar Synod Fathers unanimously condemned the wrong and anti-Christian action of a few priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese in recent days, who are on a hunger strike and protesting by occupying the Archdiocese building against the decisions of the Syro-Malabar Synod approved by the Pope,” the statement reads.

“The Synod called on the priests to desist from such actions. The Synod asked the Syro-Malabar Catholic faithful not to cooperate with such actions. The Synod directed those responsible to take disciplinary action against the 21 priests who trespassed on the Archdiocese building,” Vadakkekara writes.

Speaking to Crux at the beginning of the hunger strike, Kaithakottil said he was doing it to address “abuse of power” and denied it was unethical.

“I am in bed. A bit of weakness …  a medical team came [to examine him]. Nothing so serious,” he said.