| Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
|---|---|---|
| Upside Down Cross on Popes Chair | May | Sunday, August 8, 2004 |
Question: I ran across another anti-Catholic website where it remarked that the Pope is the Anti-Christ and it showed an upside down cross etched on his seat. Also, within that website, it showed a nun and her students watching the Pope on television seated on his chair with that same upside down cross etched on the chair. Is this really the case or did the anti-Catholic website distort the images on their website? If it is the case, why would there be an upside down cross? I learned about that anti-Catholic website through this forum, but don't remember the name of it. I appreciate this forum and am learning a lot about my faith. Thank you in advance for your response. God bless, May |
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| Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+
Dear May: This is a typical observation of bigots. Bigots tend to not only be hateful and prejudice, but also about as stupid as a mud fence. One of the symbols of the Papacy is the upside down cross. This does not refer to the devil, it refers to St. Peter, our first pope, who was crucified upside down. That is why you will see an upside down cross in some Church artwork and such. It is a symbol of St. Peter. The idea of an upside down cross being a symbol of the devil did not exist in the first century nor for hundreds of years after that. Although satanist and others have stolen the sign of St. Peter and corrupted it, does not mean that the upside down cross itself is an evil symbol. The Church can't help it is the devil steals its good symbols. If we were to abandon all symbols that the devil steals from us, then we will have to abandon the Cross itself (right-side up), because the devil uses that as a symbol too. We cannot be intimidated by the devil stealing our holy symbols and perverting them. In the face of that theft we need to say, "devil, go to hell, you will not deter us from using this holy symbol because you steal it and pervert it for your own purposes." The upside down cross found on a chair, in artwork, or wherever in the Church is a holy symbol of the martyrdom of Pope St. Peter, who was crucified upside down for his faith. God bless, |
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