Everything about The Papal Cross totally explained
The
papal cross or
ferula is an emblem of the papal office. As a material cross, it was carried before the Roman pontiff in processions or was used by him as his
pastoral staff.
In the past, this design of the cross was often used in ecclesiastical heraldry, as a distinctive mark of his office. It has three horizontal bars near the top, in diminishing order of length as the top is approached. It is thus analogous to the two-barred cross used in heraldry to indicate an archbishop, and seems to have been used precisely to indicate an ecclesiastical rank still higher than that of archbishop.
Symbolism connected with the papal powers have been attached to the three crossbars, similar to the symbolism attached, with greater historical foundation, to the three bands on the
papal tiara. The crossbars have also been said to represent the three crosses on Calvary.
In modern times, the pastoral staff carried by the popes since
Pope Paul VI is a contemporary single-barred
crucifix, designed by the Italian artist
Lello Scorzelli and carried in the same manner as a
crozier. However, the cross bar is curved much like the
paterissa carried by an
Eastern Christian bishop. On 16th March 2008, at the
Palm Sunday celebrations in
St Peter's Square,
Pope Benedict XVI used the Papal Cross that had been previously used by Popes
Pius IX and
Pius XII. He also used this Papal Cross subsequently during some of the Liturgical celebrations of the
Easter Triduum in that year.
Crosses associated with particular popes
Various physical crosses have been called papal crosses because of their association with a pope. An example is the large white
cross situated in
Phoenix Park,
Dublin,
Ireland, generally spoken of as "the Papal Cross". It was erected for the visit of
Pope John Paul II in September
1979. At this cross he held
Mass for over a million people.
When he died on
2 April 2005, people gathered in tribute to Pope John Paul at this Papal Cross, leaving flowers and other tokens of remembrance of him.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Papal Cross'.
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