Thepapal cross is aChristian cross, which serves as an emblem for the office of thePope in ecclesiastical heraldry. It is depicted as a staff with three horizontal bars near the top, in diminishing order of length as the top is approached.
The cross is analogous to the two-barredarchiepiscopal cross used inheraldry to indicate anarchbishop, and seems to have been used precisely to indicate an ecclesiastical rank still higher than that of archbishop. In the past, this design of the cross was often used in ecclesiastical heraldry as a distinctive mark of his office. It was often merely an artistic device, as use of a staff orcrosier was not part of the traditional papal insignia.[1] However, at least one staff surmounted with a papal cross does exist.
Symbolism connected with the papal powers has been attached to the three crossbars, similar to the symbolism attached to the three bands on thepapal tiara.
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