Cross Pendant

A cross necklace is any necklace featuring a Christian cross or crucifix worn by Christians and others.[1][2] They are often purchased at stores,[3] or received as gifts for rites such as baptismand confirmation.[4][5]

Crosses are often worn as an indication of commitment to the Christian faith.[6][7][8] In addition, some Christians believe that the wearing of a cross offers the wearer protection from evil.[9][10]Individuals, including Christians and some non-Christians, may also wear cross necklaces as a fashion accessory.[2] For adherents of some Christian denominations, such as the Eastern Orthodox Church, cross necklaces are always worn and never removed.[11][12]

Cassie Ventura wearing a cross necklace.

Most adherents of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church will wear a cross attached to either a chain or a matäb, a silk cord.[13][unreliable source?] The matäb is tied about the neck at the time of baptism, and the recipient is expected to wear the matäb at all times.[14] Women will often affix a cross or other pendant to the matäb, but this is not considered essential.[14]

In some nations, such as the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, an atheist state, the wearing of cross necklaces was historically banned.[15][16] Many Christian bishops of several denominations, such as the Anglican Church, wear the pectoral cross as a sign of their order.[17]

In two highly publicised British cases, nurse Shirley Chaplin and British Airways flight attendant Nadia Eweida were both forbidden to wear a cross necklace at work and, as a result, took their cases to the European Court of Human Rights.[18][19][20] In light of such cases, in 2012 the former Archbishop of Canterbury of the Anglican Communion, Lord Carey, and then head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, have urged all Christians to wear cross necklaces regularly.[21][22][23]