The Polish congregation who celebrate Mass here on a Sunday seem delighted by the new Archbishop of Cracow Mgr Marek Jędraszewski. His inaugural Mass was celebrated in the Wawel Cathedral on 29th January.
Interestingly he chose to celebrate Mass ad orientem, see from 1:28 on the video
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A Polish pope?
Father, just for the sake of accuracy, the Archbishop didn't "choose" to celebrate Mass 'ad orientem' because they never stopped using the original altars at Wawel after the liturgical reforms. Ad orientam was normal for his predecessors, Cardinals Dziwisz, Macharski and Wojtyla for liturgies in the Cathedral. It seems to be a non-issue there.
Old altar is also kept and used at Jasna Gora Marian Chapel ("number one" Polish sanctuary). Perhaps it is not accidental that ad orientem is maintained at places touched by the finger of God?
He sports a curious pallium type vestment - peculiar to Krakov?
It is the rationale of Saint Edwige from 1385 :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationale_(clothing)
I remember from my early childhood school teaching that Poland's role is to be the defender of Christianity particularly from invasions and threats from the east. I believe that conviction still lives in the heart of the Polish people.
It seems almost prophetic that the current world political and religious dysfunction is so reminiscent of the past in which Poland has played a major role on at least 2 occasions.
Interestingly, he chose to con-celebrate Mass ad orientem ... :-(
Thank you, Magdalena Saliou, for enlightening and educating me on this point. The Archbishop seems to have a rather selective attitude to tradition that he wears this but not the Pontifical Dalmatic!
Full marks for getting the city's name right; it's Cracow in English, Cracovie in French, and Krakau in German. Calling it Krakow and then mispronouncing it (as the BBC does) makes no sense.
Its football team is Cracovia, which is its Latin (and Italian) name.
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