World Youth Day

[Davethewave]

I was watching the World Youth Day live on EWTN and noticed none of the bishops or cardinals were wearing a crucifix, not even the pope! The pope was wearing a cross, but there was no Jesus present which really disturbs me, some of them didn’t even wear a cross, just a “plus sign” looking thing, or a sun-burst thing. I also noticed that the large cross they carried out didn’t have Jesus on it either, I was looking all over for one sign of Jesus and couldn’t find anything… the pope wasn’t even making the sign of the cross blessing the people the way Pope John Paul II used to do, he was simply waving. If wearing a cruicifix is an outword sign of your faith within, then does that mean these cardinals, bishops and even the pope have an empty-Christless faith? I’m just wondering, this really boggled my mind Thanks!

 

[Roman_Army]

Davethewave:

I was watching the World Youth Day live on EWTN and noticed none of the bishops or cardinals were wearing a crucifix, not even the pope! The pope was wearing a cross, but there was no Jesus present which really disturbs me, some of them didn’t even wear a cross, just a “plus sign” looking thing, or a sun-burst thing. I also noticed that the large cross they carried out didn’t have Jesus on it either, I was looking all over for one sign of Jesus and couldn’t find anything… the pope wasn’t even making the sign of the cross blessing the people the way Pope John Paul II used to do, he was simply waving. If wearing a cruicifix is an outword sign of your faith within, then does that mean these cardinals, bishops and even the pope have an empty-Christless faith? I’m just wondering, this really boggled my mind Thanks!

**So, in otherwords, they seem to be Protestant? **

 

[Davethewave]

yeah, I guess that’s a quicker way to put it. But I’m still confused
*How can a Catholic pope/cardinal/bishop be a protestant? Isn’t that a paradox/heresy

 

[batteddy]

Actually, Bishops and the Pope don’t traditionally wear crucifixes. They wear a “pectoral cross” which usually, and traditionally, doesn’t have a corpus.

 

[Roman_Army]

There was an Icon of the Blessed Mother and Child present. Just because they use a cross, instead of a crucifix doesn’t mean they are being more protestant. The cross is a part of the faith just as statues, icons, and crucifixes. As a Cardinal the Pope was a very traditional orthodox catholic.

 

[Davethewave]

Ok, well I’ll hope you’re right I still think they should have Jesus somewhere in the midst of all the icons to show his love and sacrafice for us.

 

[kaygee]

batteddy:

Actually, Bishops and the Pope don’t traditionally wear crucifixes. They wear a “pectoral cross” which usually, and traditionally, doesn’t have a corpus.

The reason, I believe, is that Bishops, by their office, stand in the person of Christ and are therefore wearing the cross as a symbol that they themselves are offering up their own bodies to be nailed to that cross. . .