Russia: Bishop blesses city from hot air balloon

Metropolitan Bishop Giorgy began dousing the crowds as the balloon took off

A Russian church leader has delivered a blessing to his entire city while soaring above it in a multi-coloured hot air balloon.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch Metropolitan Bishop Giorgy take flight over the city of Nizhny Novgorod on Thursday evening, the Progorodnn.ru website reports. He had on board 20 litres (35 pints) of holy water, along with an assistant, an instructor and a cameraman who captured the proceedings for a live feed watched by people on the ground below.

Bishop Giorgy also blessed the nearby town of Kstovo during his travels

Prior to lift-off, Bishop Giorgy told crowds that he hoped the mid-air prayer service would help the city to prosper. The balloon rose to a height of 1.5km (0.9 miles) above the ground during the event, but he seemed unfazed. "My father was a military pilot during World War Two," he told reporters. "As the son of a pilot, I ought not to fear heights."

He's not the first man of God to use his imagination for religious services. In June 2014, the head of Romania's Orthodox Church was photographed blessing a new TV studio using a paint roller dipped in holy oil, stuck to the end of a long pole. At the time a church spokesman said the "sanctification rod" helped Patriarch Daniel to anoint areas that were otherwise out of reach.

An on-board camera allowed spectators on the ground to watch the action

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