Sunday, March 27, 2011

"Axios, Axios, Axios...."

To add some flavor to the recap of this morning's enthronement in Kiev, some key footage from the vivid, historic rites....

For those of us who don't know Ukrainian, the visuals will have to suffice... and suffice it to say, they do:


Remember, Latin folk, for the world's largest Catholic flock after Rome, what you see above is the astonishing launch of a very significant new era... led by the third-youngest bishop in the global church.

A standard feature of Eastern ordination and installation liturgies, the threefold chants of "Axios" -- "worthy" in Greek -- symbolize the people's approval of the cleric being elevated, and their consent to the proceedings.

Among the other hierarchs in attendance was Ukraine's top Latin-church prelate -- Archbishop Mietek Mokrzycki of Lviv, the longtime deputy private secretary to Pope John Paul II... who, strangely, donned his pallium for the event.

Tip to Rorate.

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