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VIDEO .
Breaking Tradition: Decoding the Unprecedented Actions at Pope Leo XIV's Inauguration
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TRANSCRIPT
when a pope is inaugurated attention
often focuses on the grandeur the majestic throne the elaborate vestments and the weighty speeches However for a church that truly embodies its Catholicity a deeper gaze is essential At Pope Leo Mortin's inauguration something truly extraordinary unfolded Subtly yet profoundly signs gestures and symbols emerged that transcended Roman origins They hailed from the east from the very lungs of the church that breathed with vibrant icons fragrant incense and profound sacred silence These weren't simply diplomatic multiculturalism These were choices intentional lurggical theological choices that say the east is not a guest in the church The east is part of her soul Today we unveil five powerful symbols of Eastern Catholic tradition quietly but unmistakably woven into Pope Leo's first mass and what they reveal about the kind of church he hopes to lead Number five the Eastern Patriarchs at Peter's tomb a living icon of communion Before the incense rose before the white vestments shimmerred beneath the basilica lights something deeply symbolic occurred away from the cameras beneath the stones of St Peter As Pope Leo descended into the crypt to pray at the tomb of the apostle he was not alone Beside him were the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches robed in their ancient vestments bearing the lurggical traditions of Antioch Alexandria Bzantium and beyond This was not a formality It was a living icon a powerful theological image made flesh These patriarchs represent churches that have preserved their own lurggical languages sacred chants and distinct theological expressions for centuries yet remain in full communion with the bishop of Rome Their presence at the tomb of Peter was a declaration that communion in the church is not built on uniformity but on unity and diversity And the decision to begin the inauguration with them wasn't just about hospitality It was a prophetic sign Pope Leo 14th a man who once walked through the rural dascesees of Latin America now knelt before the Prince of the Apostles with brothers who carry the scars of persecution exile and centuries of forgotten witness In this moment the church didn't just see leadership It saw apostolic continuity East and West gathered around the bones of the fishermen not to compete for attention but to surrender together in prayer It was a reminder that in the heart of Catholicism Eastern Christians are not secondary They are essential And under Leo their voices are not being tolerated They are being welcomed home to the center Number four the gospel in Greek and Latin Two tongues one word of God When the deacons stepped forward to proclaim the gospel the moment was charged with more than ritual First came the Latin solemn stately the voice of Rome and then came the Greek melodic ancient echoing the prayers of the east This was no accident of protocol It was a deliberate decision one that pulsed with theological weight by proclaiming the gospel in both Latin and Greek Pope Leo the Florentoin restored a moment of profound lurggical balance Latin the language of the Roman church speaks of the church's missionary expansion her jeritical clarity her global authority Greek the sacred language of the Eastern liturgies carries the mystical theology of the fathers the poetic vision of the Capidosians the ancient cadence of the divine liturgy To hear both languages side by side not in conflict but in harmony was to hear the Catholic Church breathe with both lungs It reminded the faithful that the word of God is not confined to one right or one rhythm It is proclaimed through diverse tongues but always as one faith And to those with ears to hear it was also a gesture of healing Too often the Eastern and Western churches have stood divided by misunderstanding suspicion and cultural blindness But at that altar on that day the gospel spoke twice and both times Christ was present That is Catholic unity and that is the vision Pope Leo 14th is inviting the world to see Number three the Marian icon Beside the altar a mother for the east and west set just beside the main altar during the papal mass stood an icon Not a Baroack statue not a romantic painting but a flat golden image our lady of good counsel For many it may have looked like simply a Marian image but for those who know it speaks volumes This icon long associated with the Augustinian tradition also bears unmistakable Eastern characteristics The tender embrace of mother and child the elongated fingers the still eyes the silent mouth It's not an illustration It's a theological presence It comes not to impress but to invite contemplation For Pope Leo a member of the Augustinian order This image is both personal and ecclesial It reflects his own Marian devotion shaped by hours in quiet chapels But more than that it reflects an eastern understanding of icons not as art but as windows into heaven channels of grace objects of veneration not admiration By placing this image so close to the heart of the liturgy Pope Leo the Varttor invited the church into a deeper Maran theology one that transcends sentiment and recovers mystery It also bridged east and west without words the Roman Pope praying beside a Bzantine style Madonna both gazing toward the altar That's not just beauty That's ecclesiology in image form Number two the asterisk over the gifts a silent star from the east You wouldn't have noticed it unless you were watching closely As the bread was prepared for consecration a small metal object shaped like a star was placed briefly over the patent To many Latinright Catholics this might seem unfamiliar but to Eastern Catholics it's instantly recognizable It's called the asterisk and it has been used for centuries in the Bzantine liturgy Its function is simple but rich It covers the Eucharistic bread symbolizing the star of Bethlehem that's shown over the Christ child It reminds us that the bread on the altar is not just bread It is destined to be revealed as Christ himself the incarnate word In Eastern tradition the asterisk is a mark of reverence of sacred mystery of God hidden in plain sight By using the asterisk during his own inauguration mass an extremely rare inclusion in the Roman right Pope Leo Bortin made a powerful statement He was not improvising He was drawing from the treasury of Catholic worship across the centuries He was saying to Eastern Catholics "Your symbols are not foreign They belong to the whole church." In a church often starved for mystery the quiet glint of that star- shaped cover told a different story That reverence lives in detail and that detail often comes from the east One the pascal greeting Christ is risen truly risen At the end of the mass as the pope greeted the gathered faithful in various languages he paused and then in a voice both pastoral and powerful declared "Christ is risen He is truly risen." To many it was a beautiful Easter phrase but to Eastern Christians whether Catholic or Orthodox it was something more It was the greeting of resurrection the anthem of Pasha the word that passes from priest to faithful and back again in their holiest liturgies By choosing to speak it Pope Leodi stepped into the linguistic heartbeat of the Eastern churches He didn't simply nod to them He spoke in their voice He entered their rhythm of resurrection This wasn't a slogan It was theology It was liturgy It was communion And in doing so he reminded the church that we do not merely believe in the resurrection We proclaim it together When east and west speak the same greeting with the same joy the same fire and the same hope something ancient is restored Not unity as structure but unity as shared wonder That day the Pope didn't just end the mass He opened a door a door through which the whole church might walk into a deeper older richer way of being Catholic These five symbols were not ornaments They were declarations not in speeches but in sacrament not in doctrine but in gesture With each one Pope Leo reminded us that the East is not peripheral It is central Its music its art its symbols and its faith are not exotic They are eucharistic And in a time when the world is fractured when even the faithful are tempted to divide east against west Latin against Byzantine pope Leo's message is stunningly clear We are one church one altar one Lord And from every right every tongue every icon Christ speaks
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