Bishop Bosco Puthur: Ideology of Curtain and Marthoma Cross, Faithful against Bishop.

By Reporter from Perth/Australia.

New Church has become the place of liturgical battle and divided Parish community. Bishop Bosco Puthur( Photo credit to public domain)

The letter below is the petition to Church authorities from St. Joseph Parish, Perth, Australia.

Liturgy has become a tactical strategy of Bishop to divide the community. Similar cunning ways are used everywhere outside of Kerala and India. Soon after building the Church (after receiving the huge donation from the parishioners) the authorities divide the parish community with Liturgical issues. Then with the help of a Chaldean group, they will impose ideologies like “Altar-facing Mass” altar- curtain and Marthoma Cross in the Church . "Parishioners are not consulted in deciding Liturgical concerns. Bishop needs only their financial wealth" a catechism teacher from this controversial parish told this reporter. . Perth Parish Church in Australia is not the only Church with this harrowing experience of fanatical liturgical scandal in the Church.

"The sad side of the story is that even the apex Church authorities like the Oriental Congregation will remain silent observer of these terrible injustices. This is the fate of the Syro Malabar Church today under the leadership of Cardinal Alencherry and Bishop Bosco in Australia" A priest in anonymity comments from USA.

We are the people of God. Let us get united against these injustices and rally together to fight against it . Holy Mass facing people is our birthright. Let us fight together to remove the curtain and Marthoma- cross from the Altar. United we Stand. International advocacy group “Laity 4 Justice” stands with the parishioners of St. Joseph church, Perth, Australia.

"We ask you to stand together and fight for your right. Get united through concerted efforts. Seek out different options to fight against these injustices. As a donor of this Charity, you also have fundamental rights against social and religious discrimination on the basis of liturgical fanaticism. After accepting your donations, they have changed their value system to discriminate and eventually exploit you. Options for legal interventions must be explored. United we stand. This is the oldest and truest slogan to achieve your destiny" Jinu Thomas, An advocacy group member of Syro Malabar laity 4 justice exhorted.

The letter below is the petition to Church authorities from St. Joseph Parish, Perth, Australia.

To

His Excellency Bishop Bosco Puthur

Bishop, Syro-Malabar Diocese of Melbourne, Australia.

Copy to:

1. Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Palazzo del Bramante, 00193 Roma, Via della Conciliazione, 34

2. Archbishop Giorgio Demertio Gallaro, Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches

3. George Cardinal Alanchery, Major Archbishop, Syro-Malabar Church

4. Rev Fr. Sabu Jacob VC, Acting Parish Priest, St Joseph Syro-Malabar Parish, Maddington, Western Australia.

Subject: Installation of Curtain and Holy Mass facing the Altar.

Your Excellency,

The catholic diaspora living in Western Australia under the umbrella of the St Joseph Syro-Malabar Parish, Perth, Western Australia is divided and disappointed on the above critical subject matters.

The Syro-Malabar synod decision to impose the new decision of making uniformity of “Holy Mass facing the Altar” and the installation of “Altar Curtain” creates utter disappointment and division among the laity of St Joseph Syro-Malabar Parish, Perth, Western Australia.

Though the Eparch of the local church holds the authority to give dispensation to the synod decision based on the culture and ongoing practises of the local church, you look adamant to hold your personal interest despite of multiple requests from the laity. In case you do not have such an authority, taking into consideration the local situation, you have a moral responsibility to persuade the competent authority to reverse the decision.

We the catholic community of the above parish unanimously state the below that,

1. We are familiar and grew up with the current holy mass practises “facing the people” from our childhood. We would like to continue the current practices and do not accept any revisions/changes whatsoever. The new imposed decisions would negatively affect our faith and practices. Moreover, it would drastically affect our children and they would face a faith crisis if they asked to move to a new system with a paradigm shift.

2. “The Curtain” that you are trying to install in the middle of the church will create a vacuum in our faith and believes in celebrating the Holy Mass. We have never seen such a practice in our whole lives, the force to separate the laity from the celebrant will end up not going for the mass, and it would create empty churches in this region. This attempt would negatively affect our children in keeping away from the church and catholic practices.

3. By imposing the above subject matters, you are trying to sacrifice our catholic faith and ancestral traditions for the politics and unhealthy ego of a group among the members of the Syro-Malabar synod. We believe in unity than uniformity. Catholic Church consists of different churches with various traditions. Vatican Council II teaches unity than uniformity. Your interest and decisions take us to think about the Church of pre-Vatican Council II.

4. St Joseph Syro-Malabar Parish, Perth, Western Australia is building the new parish church where we have contributed a huge amount of money due to the love towards the Catholic Church and the nourishment of our faith. All the above subject matters will tarnish our faith and love towards the mother church. If your sole decision is imposed on us, we will be forced to move away from church practises and faith commitments.

5. If you are still forcing us to obey your adamant decisions, we will be reserving our rights and options not to support any of the church activities and financial support. We will spread the unhealthy practice in the Syro-Malabar church, will embrace the local Latin Catholic Church, and will no longer be wished to be called “syro- malabarians”.

Hence, we the members of the St Joseph Syro-Malabar Parish, Perth, Western Australia humbly request that,

1. Persuade the competent authority to freeze the synod decision to implement the new mode of celebrating the Holy Mass, which is facing the Altar.

2. By reserving the rights of an Eparch of the local church, suspend the synod decision to install the ‘curtain’ in the newly built church for St Joseph Syro-Malabar Parish, Maddington, Western Australia.

3. Allow us to continue the same mode of liturgical practises and do not force us to adapt to new modes which would create confusion and chaos within the faith community in Perth, Australia.

We humbly request Your Excellency to approach the competent authority to express the feelings and concerns of the Syro-Malabar diaspora in Perth regarding the subject matters. If we do not receive an official reply vide a letter read at the church, we will not be able to support and cooperate at the consecration of the new parish church.

Sincerely,

All the Undersigned parish members of the St Joseph Syro-Malabar Parish, Perth, Western Australia