Clash at Kerala Church During Mass Highlights Deepening Religious Dispute
Ernakulam-Angamaly, India — Tensions reached a breaking point at St. Sebastian’s Church in Prasadagiri, Varikkankunnu, on Saturday, after dissenting members of the congregation disrupted a unified Holy Mass, leading to an outbreak of violence. The clash underscores deep-seated divisions within the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese over church liturgical practices. The confrontation erupted when several parishioners, reportedly led by the church’s former vicar Jerin Palathingal, obstructed the officiating priest, Father John Thottuppuram, as he proceeded with the Mass. …