Enthroned
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The first head of the 160 million-member Russian Orthodox Church to be installed since the fall of the Soviet Union, 62 year-old Patriarch Kirill's inaugural message as head of Christianity's second-largest branch boiled down into three priorities: an emphasis on outreach to young people, a new drive toward relations with "sister churches," and an unstinting commitment to combatting "moral relativism."
For a Vatican that's long sought better ties with the Moscow patriarchate, the opening words of its favored candidate for the post were likely received as music to its ears.
A video dispatch from the three-hour long rites:
PHOTO: AFP/Getty
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