Papal Cross
The papal cross or ferula is the pastoral staff used by the Pope. This is in contrast to other bishops, who use a crozier. The pastoral staff carried by the popes since Pope Paul VI is a contemporary subdiaconate [1] single-barred cross, designed by the Italian artist Lello Scorzelli [2] and carried in the same manner as a crozier. However, the cross bar is bent much like the paterissa carried by an Eastern Christian bishop.
On 16 March 2008, at the Palm Sunday celebrations in Saint Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI used the Papal Cross that had been previously used by Popes Pius XI and Pius XII.[3] This cross was used until 28 November 2009. A replacement cross was given to Pope Benedict XVI as a gift of the Circolo San Pietro (an organization founded in the 19th century to support the papacy) and, according to Monsignor Guido Marini, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, it "can be considered to all intents and purposes the pastoral staff of Benedict XVI."
On 7 April 2013, at the Mass for the Possession of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, Pope Francis returned to using the ferula of Paul VI (until John Paul II) with the corpus on it and has alternated its use with the ferula of Benedict XVI, which he resumed using on 23 April 2013.
References [edit]
- ^ Fr. Brian T. Austin, FSSP. - The Liturgical Reform of Pope Benedict XVI, EWTN On Location, July 7, 2012.
- ^ Ralf van Bühren 2008, p. 319, 336-337, fig. 54-57.
- ^ Cindy Wooden,"In U.S. Masses, pope to carry pastoral staff of Blessed Pope Pius IX". Catholic News Service. 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
Further reading [edit]
- Bühren, Ralf van: Kunst und Kirche im 20. Jahrhundert. Die Rezeption des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils (Konziliengeschichte, Reihe B: Untersuchungen), Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh 2008 (ISBN 978-3-506-76388-4)
