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 single-barred cross, designed by the Italian artist Lello Scorzelli 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. This cross was used until 28 November 2009. The replacement cross was a gift of the Circolo San Pietro (an organization founded in the 19th century to support the papacy) and, according to Msgr. Guido Marini, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, it "can be considered to all intents and purposes the pastoral staff of Benedict XVI."
Read more about Papal Cross: Crosses Associated With Particular Popes, Symbol
Famous quotes containing the word cross:
“All pathways by His feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea;
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn;
His cross is every tree.”
—Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916)