Kochi | The Syro-Malabar Church Synod's bid to reopen a famous shrine here, which was closed last year after a stand-off between two groups, hit a roadblock on Friday with a section of protesting priests and laity withdrawing from an agreement alleging that the Synod tried to impose uniformity in celebrating the Holy Mass there. Earlier in the day, the Syro-Malabar Church Media Commission issued a press statement, claiming that an agreement has been reached between its Synod comprising top bishops and representatives of St. Mary's Bascilica to open it based on a discussion held on June 14. Synod, in the Christian church, is a local or provincial assembly of bishops and other church officials meeting to resolve questions of discipline or administration.

The statement claimed that church Vicar Monsignor Antony Narikulam assured that the uniform way of celebrating Holy Mass, approved by Synod, would be implemented in the Bascilica.

This clause in the agreement irked a significant section of priests and laity of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, protesting against the Synod's alleged move to impose uniformity in celebrating the Holy Mass in churches.

In a statement, the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese Protection Committee countered the Synod's decision, alleging that the top priests' body was trying to "cheat" them.

A representative of the Archdiocese Protection Committee said the Bascilica would not be allowed to open as they cannot agree with the uniformity in the Holy Mass celebration in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese.

He said the majority of priests, nuns, and laity of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese wanted to continue to celebrate the Holy Mass facing the people because it was part of the Second Vatican Council.

The majority of churches under the archdiocese have been following the old system of celebrating the Holy Mass--that is, celebrating the Holy Mass facing the people, for the last several decades-- and there is no question of changing this style of worship, he said.

The premises of Bascilica had witnessed protest in November last year after Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the apostolic administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, insisted that he wanted to celebrate the uniform way of Holy Mass at the Church.

Following the violence, the police shut down the Basilica.

The archbishop was prevented from celebrating Holy Mass at the St Mary's Cathedral Basilica here by the dissident group of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, triggering the violence outside the church between supporters of Synod's decision and the group opposing it.

According to the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), there are over four million Syro-Malabarians within the 30 Syro-Malabar Eparchies, and nearly six lakh members live as migrants outside any Syro-Malabar Eparchy.

Many bishops, priests, religious, and laity of the Syro-Malabar Church are present all over the world and share the missionary and pastoral lives of the sister churches.