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It’s not unusual to wear a cross. For many it is simply a fashion trend, but for a few it has more to say. Fiona Graham reports

Emma Raducanu

Tennis player Emma Raducanu MBE is almost always seen wearing a small, discreet cross, but has never explained why. In 2021, the Canadian-born professional tennis player became the first singles qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title. Her father, Ian, is originally from Romania and her mother, Renee Zhai, is from China, two countries where Christians have been persecuted for their faith. The family moved to England from Canada when she was two years old. Emma holds both British and Canadian citizenship.

Meat Loaf

The American singer and actor Meat Loaf is best remembered for his song Bat Out of Hell, which sold an estimated 43 million copies globally, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Although he sometimes wore a cross, he wasn’t known to be a Christian. However, while growing up, he attended church with his mother and studied the Bible, which influenced the religious themes in some of his songs. He is said to have prayed every night. He died in January 2022 from complications resulting from Covid-19.

Rihanna

Singer, actress, fashion designer, and occasional cross-wearer, Rihanna, is the world’s wealthiest female musician with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. Her accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and six Guinness World Records. Aside from music, Rihanna is known for her involvement in humanitarian causes. The Clara Lionel Foundation, which she founded in honour of her grandparents, is a charity that funds education, emergency preparedness and response programmes around the world.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

The Duchess of Cambridge is known to borrow the Queen’s jewels for state events, but occasionally she is seen wearing a simple cross. She married Prince William in 2011; unless there are changes to UK law, when he becomes king he will also be head of the Church of England. At Christmas 2021 the Duchess hosted a carol service in London’s Westminster Abbey to celebrate those who have supported their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. She surprised everyone by playing the piano to accompany musician Tom Walker.

David Bowie

English singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He remained musically active until his death in 2016 two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar. Although he was occasionally photographed wearing a cross, his will stipulated that he be cremated and his ashes scattered in Bali ‘in accordance with the Buddhist rituals’. In 1993 he said he had an ‘undying’ belief in the ‘unquestionable’ existence of God but he rejected organised religion.

Alice Cooper

With a stage show that includes fake blood, electric chairs and pyrotechnics, Alice Cooper is described by music journalists as ‘The Godfather of Shock Rock’. An occasional cross-wearer, he told the New York Daily News’ Confidential, ‘My wife and I are both Christian. There’s nothing in Christianity that says I can’t be a rock star. People have a very warped view of Christianity. They think it’s all very precise and we never do wrong and we’re praying all day and we’re right wing. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ.’

Puff Diddy

American rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur Puff Daddy founded his own record label, Bad Boy Records in 1993. Alongside his musical success he has won fashion awards for his own clothing line. His charity work includes support for inner city youth, and helping students who are unable to pay their tuition fees. He was raised a Catholic and was an altar server as a boy, but has been criticised for supporting anti-Semitic comments.

Madonna

The political, sexual and religious themes in Madonna’s songs have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. Sometimes referred to as ‘Queen of Pop’ Madonna was confirmed in the Catholic Church in 1966. Her Catholic background is seen in her fashion use of the rosary and in her songs. Since 2011 she is said to have attended meetings and services at an Opus Dei Center, a Catholic institution that encourages spirituality through everyday life. In an interview in 2016 she said: ‘I always feel some kind of inexplicable connection with Catholicism. It kind of shows up in all of my work, as you may have noticed.’

What does the cross symbolise?

The former Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, wears a colourfully painted cross. Like Christians around the world he links the symbol of the cross with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the founder of Christianity. This remarkable event in history took place in Jerusalem about 2,000 year ago. Eyewitness accounts are included in four books known as Gospels, which are part of the Christian Bible.

‘The cross is a symbol used by Christians to remind them of hope,’ Sentamu has said. ‘It is the hope of light overcoming darkness, life victorious over death and good triumphing over evil.’

The hope he refers to stems from the fact that, although Jesus died on the cross and was buried, three days later his grave was empty. His followers saw him and ate meals with him. He was not a ghost. Jesus then appeared to more than 500 people over six weeks, before he returned to his Father in heaven. He told his followers that anyone who believes in him will also have eternal life. These events are the focus of Easter celebrations worldwide and this promise of eternal life has given hope to millions of people of every nationality through 2,000 years of history.

The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, wears a Cross of Nails, which has special significance as a symbol of hope and friendship. In November 1940 much of the city of Coventry was destroyed by German bombs. The medieval cathedral was left in ruins, but two burnt roof beams had fallen in the shape of a cross. They were bound together and placed where the altar had been. Also, three medieval roof nails were formed into a cross, which became the original Cross of Nails.

‘Father Forgive,’ words Jesus said from the cross, were written on the wall of the ruined cathedral and the cathedral staff made a commitment to strive for forgiveness and reconciliation with those responsible. After the Second World War ended, a Cross of Nails was presented to St Nikolai Church, Kiel, Germany, as a symbol of peace between former enemies.

The cross continues to remind people of the peace and reconciliation Jesus achieved between God and humanity, when he died and rose from the dead.

God gets involved in our lives
‘The cross is what it means for God to have become human, and have chosen to work with his creatures. It means…there is nothing in our human experience that is too terrible, too dark, too painful for God.

‘The cross tells us that God is intimately involved in our lives and suffers with us. It tells us that God chooses to change things the slow way – by getting involved with us, working with us and walking alongside us.’

This is an extract from a BBC broadcast by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Read the whole of the talk here.