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King Charles' coronation cross includes a holy gift fromPope Francisbelieved to be connected to Jesus Christ.
On Wednesday, the cross that will lead the coronation procession at London’s Westminster Abbey on May 6 was blessed in Wales. The Cross of Wales, as it’s called, features two splinters reportedly taken from the cross Jesus was crucified on 2,000 years ago.
The Timesreports that the pieces of wood, measuring about 0.2 and 0.4 inches, were a “personal coronation gift” from the Pope to the King, adding that the Vatican believes the wood is from the “true cross.” The splinters have been arranged in the shape of a cross at the center of the Cross of Wales behind a rose crystal gemstone at its center.
“It’s hugely significant. It’s a remarkable thing that the King has been able to find favor with the Vatican and as a result of that very good relationship, Pope Francis has agreed to gift these small fragments of the holy cross,” the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev. Andrew John, toldThe Times.
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The embellishment was recently added to the Cross of Wales — just in time for the coronation. Charles, 74, commissioned Goldsmiths' Company in London to make the Cross of Wales in 2020 to celebrate the centenary of the Church in Wales, the organizationsaid.
The commemorative cross is made of recycled silver bullion with Welsh windfall timber and slate. Charles did the honors of applying the “King’s Mark” (leopard’s head) to the cross during a visit to Goldsmiths' in November 2022, which the company says is a first for a monarch.
Lines from the last sermon from St. David,the patron saint of Wales, are etched on the back of the cross. “Be joyful. Keep the faith. Do the little things,” the etching says in Welsh, according to theChurch in Wales.
The Archbishop of Wales blessed the Cross of Wales at the Holy Trinity Church in Llandudno, the church said, in a morning service that was open to the public on Wednesday. After the cross leads the procession (whichPrince Georgewill be part of!) at the coronation on May 6, it will be shared between the Anglican and Catholic churches in Wales.
King Charles and Queen Camilla.Chris Jackson/Getty
“Charles became King Charles the moment his mother died, but the coronation is to do with the job and being the monarch in the eyes of all the people,” royal historian Robert Lacey previously told PEOPLE.
“The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” Buckingham Palace previously said.
source: people.com
