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