Putting an end to over 40 years of conflict, the Vatican has finally has given its verdict that in Karnataka prayers should be held in Kannada without ignoring universal language of communication — English and other south Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu and other languages.
Bengaluru’s Archbishop Dr Bernard Moras shared the directives from Vatican with all the State parishes. The Vatican said the language of masses should be one that’s understood by the majority.
“The language of the liturgy should be in the language of the vast majority of people present at worship for their better understanding, participation and assimilation,” the letter from the Apostolic Nuncio said. The principal language of the Archdiocese being Kannada, in all parishes, “the principal language is to be encouraged in masses and liturgical services.”
A letter received from Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, The Apostolic Nuncio to India said, “It is the duty of the Parish Pastoral Council under the leadership of the Parish Priest to study and make a profile of the parish community and make proposals to the Archbishop.”
So far in Bengaluru there is always a conflict between Kannada Christians and Tamil Christians over the language of prayer in Churches. Since many years Kannada-speaking Christians were demanding supremacy for Kannada in churches in Karnataka. The Kannada Christian association has held many protests and finally the Vatican call has given clarity of thought for prayers in Kannada in churches ending domination of prayer in a particular language.
The communication from Vatican also said that English, being the “universal language” and Bangalore a “cosmopolitan city”, it should also be the language of liturgy in all parishes. Services in other languages, like Tamil, should be held even though the ‘prime time’ should be given to Kannada, it added.
The churches in Bengaluru are also attended by a sizeable population of Tamil speaking Christians and differences have often cropped up over the use of language, especially during Christmas and Easter midnight mass. In a bid to broker peace between Tamil and Kannada speaking Christians, various committees were set up to recommend a solution to the long standing dispute. The findings were to senior church officials in September 2014, following which it issued the directives through a circular.