Priest resigns as parish vicar over Unified Mass

A priest of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro Malabar Church who was serving as the vicar of a church in Kadamakudy, has submitted his resignation letter as vicar to Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, the Administrator of the Archdiocese.

The priest Fr. Augustine Vattoly, who was serving as the vicar of St Augustine Church, Kadamakudy, said in his letter that he has never led the ‘Unified Mass’ as is being advocated by the Synod at the parish, and is unwilling to offer the same under any circumstance.

In his letter, he attributes the immediate reason for his resignation as vicar of the parish to one family from the parish seeking the offering of Unified Mass.

“I will submit a letter seeking withdrawal of my resignation letter, the very day when the mode of Mass where the priest faces the congregation (instead of the Unified Mass), is declared in the archdiocese as a liturgical variant. The ongoing dispute over the mode of offering Mass is against the teachings of Jesus Christ and the life that he led. Many bishops seem unwilling to live a life that Christ stood for. In this situation, I will always be with the faithful of the Archdiocese, including its priests and nuns,” Fr Vattoly said in his letter.