Inverted or Upside-down Crucifixes and Crosses

Mon Nov 3, 2008, 9:18am

Firstly remember that a cross and a crucifix are different:

The Christian cross is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity. It is a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. 

A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with a representation of Jesus' body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the Christian religion. It is primarily used in the Catholic Church, Anglican churches, and Eastern Orthodox churches, and it emphasizes Christ's sacrifice his death by crucifixion, which they believe brought about the redemption of humankind.

As stated, in Roman Catholicism the Petrine Cross (Inverted Christian cross) is not seen as Satanic in any way. 

However, an inverted crucifix (a Latin cross with an artistic depiction of the crucified body of Christ upon it) is seen as immensely disrespectful, and could be used to represent Satanic forces. 

The distinction between a Cross of Peter and upturned Crucifix is sometimes obscured, leading to confusion about the acceptability of each symbol. 

This was seen when controversy arose over the aforementioned Papal visit to Israel; pictures of the Pope sitting before a Petrine Cross were widely circulated on the Internet in an attempt to prove that the Catholic Church is associated with Satanism.