The Cross The Pope Wears

Giuseppe Albrrizzi, the craftsman who crafted the cross that Bergoglio wears, said, "'The beauty of the cross is the meaning and simplicity it depicts: Christ the Good Shepherd leading the flock and carries the lost sheep on his shoulders. On the top of the cross is depicted the Holy Spirit.'" [1]

Here is a close-up of the cross:

From Google Images

The above design, molded into a wearable piece of ornament framed by the shape of a cross, is nice, but it does not depict the defining moment of Christ which is Christ's death on the cross.  Christ who was crucified wearing a crown of thorns was confirmed to be the Son of God by his Resurrection and by His Ascension.  The image on this piece of ornament can be any man carrying a sheep over his shoulders, and the bird above could a peregrine falcon diving for prey (see image below) without any religious significance whatsoever.  In other words, the image that is worn by this pope, framed by rounded perpendicular lines can very well be seen as a secular image for anyone, including atheists or atheist shepherds, to wear.

From Google Images

Why this pope chooses to wear an ornament with an image that depicts a man who does not have nail holes appearing on him anywhere is a mystery.  Is he afraid to be reminded of the true Christ?  Or is this pope a Satan surrogate who wants to stay as far away as often as possible from the real Crucifix with the image of the crucified Christ since it is the real Crucifix that exorcists use?

Perhaps it is unfair to have these thoughts but is it not important that a pope ought to remind everybody in the world at all times of the crucified Christ?  This Bergoglio did on one Sunday, September 3, 2017, saying that "'there is always the temptation to follow a Christ without a Cross [or, for that matter, particular to this blog entry, the shape of a cross without Christ], rather, to teach God the right path,'" referring to the passage where Jesus referred to Peter as Satan and asked Peter to get behind Him. [2]

According to Hanna Brockhaus, reporting for EWTN News and CNA, the pope concluded that "'Mary Most Holy, who followed Jesus to Calvary, also accompany us and help us not to fear the cross,'" "'[n]ot a cross without Jesus, the cross with Jesus, that is, the cross of suffering for love of God and brethren.'" [3]  Beautiful words, which this blogger hopes that the pope had written them himself, not just reading a script prepared by someone else, and that the pope himself believes in these words wholeheartedly.



[1] https://www.lasalette.org/reflections/1095-pope-francis-s-pectoral-cross.html
[2] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/09/03/pope_angelus_temptation_to_follow_a_christ_without_a_cross/1334441
[3] http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=16197