The New Liturgical Movement weblog provides some rather nice pictures from the Solemn Vespers at the Papal Basilica of St Paul's Without the Walls celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

EWTN ignored it, but His Holiness Patriarch Gregory III, Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, and All the East was present at Solemn Vespers in Saint Paul's Outside the Walls this evening - I was glad to see him, and insulted that the Greek-Catholic Patriarch was thus treated like some nobody.

Fr. Serge

This is indeed a sore point, and I agree with Fr. Serge completely. As you will know, Vatican II's decree Ecclesiarum Orientalium on the Eastern Catholic Churches provides:


Even so, Eastern Catholic Patriarchs are routinely ranked below Roman Cardinals, while Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Patriarchs are accorded the highest possible honours, something which seems quite illogical to me. Surely this demotion of Eastern Catholic Patriarchs cannot be explained away by referring to the last provision about adaptation "to modern conditions"?

A clarification about the video feed:

It doesn't orginate at EWTN but at Vatican TV/Radio (called CTV). EWTN picks up the feed from the Vatican and broadcasts it over their channel(s). Everything else stems from the Vatican folks.

And, no, I am not connected with EWTN, just a viewer.

I'm beginning to prefer Eastern vestments over Roman/Western ones, am I developing a problem ?

james

Yes you are. It's called the beauty of the Christian East. I wish people could catch it like the common cold!

Of course you are not developing a problem

You have come to appreciate the beauty , majesty and glory of the East.

Good grief, I just realized I've had this bug for 6 years now, I might as well consider it as part of me...

james

James - it seems to have taken you a while to realise that you have been 'hooked' by the East

So now what are you going to do ?

NO - do NOT answer that one

Answer to #1, the day I discovered the "pearl"...

As for #2, no clue...

james

If you will look at the sixth picture, Pope Benedict XVI is wearing the "Formale", a clasp with what looks like three pine cones.

I'm puzzled as to why he's wearing this, since the Formale is traditionally worn
during times of penitence (Lent, Advent, Ember and Rogation days)

In fact, Pope Benedict XVI has been returning to traditional vesture, but he is wearing them in a style and according to a logic that is uniquely his. (Another example: wearing lots of lace during Advent, Lent and Holy Week, which used to be discouraged)

Not nitpicking, just pointing out a little liturgical tidbit.

Lace should be discouraged anytime!

"Archbishop Warham
shocked the Canons of Sarum
by wearing lace
all over the place!"

E. L. Maskell, Pi in the High

Listening to EWTN, one realized that the Radio Vatican commentator providing backup was having some difficulty keeping up with the content of the liturgy and even vocabulary in the provided texts at times. This brings to mind a recent meeting between the Chairman of the World Congress of Rusyns and a Vatican diplomat in which the request was made that the Holy See try to ensure that Vatican Radio cease referring to "Rusyns" as "Russians" in its reports.

Would that funds were available to have Fr. Serge available to supplement or replace the Vatican Radio commentary on some of these EWTN specials. Additional expertise is merited and would further ecumenical outcomes sought by many.

-Pustinik
--------------------
"Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved." –St. Serafim of Sarov

But the Vatican itself didn't give any remark on the Patriarch, did he? I'm very frustrated of our Patriarch having been ignored. Neither one photo I saw!

I was struck by the fact that they walked in side by side at both Vespers and at Mass.

I was struck by the unfortunate choice of how the Pope and the Patriarch were seated. As best I recollect, on the earlier occasion during the pontificate of Pope John Paul, they were seated in identical thrones at the same height.

Many years,

Neil

Fr. Serge is available - and it wouldn't cost that much money; it would be easy to arrange the use of a studio here in Dublin and patch in with EWTN.

Fr. Serge!

In the secular world, it would be considered 'making a fashion statement'!!!

In this picture you can see the Pope and the Patriarch standing side by side in front of identical chairs during the Liturgy of the Word in St. Peter's Basilica.



Afterwards, the Pope is seen alone (appropriately enough) in front of the altar while the new Metropolitan Archbishops swear the oath of obedience.



As for the arrangement in St. Paul's Basilica Without the Walls, the Pope is seated on the cathedra, while a special chair has been installed for the Patriarch. Not using the cathedra was obviously not an option, and while it may be large, there isn't room for both Pope and Patriarch in one chair!

Thus I don't quite see how it could have been done differently, except that it would have been better if there had been another chair to the Pope's left for His Beatitude Patriarch Gregory III of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem.

I don't know why the Holy Father is wearing the formale, but it might be because the Vigil of a Solemn Feast was traditionally a penitential day in the Latin Church.

Yes, but that's First Vespers of a Feast (Double of the I Class with a common Octave), so it's no longer a penitential day!