Pope’s Youth Cross arrives in SE1 from Switzerland

The wooden Cross was given by Pope John Paul in 1984 to the the young people of the world. His Holiness asked them to “bear it in the world as the sign of the love of the Lord Jesus for humanity”. The Cross is accompanied by an icon.

The Cross has already arrived in Sussex having been brought by road from Geneva in Switzerland for its first ever display in London. It has been round the world and recently toured Canada.

The Cross is now part of a nine country European Pilgrimage in preparation for the 2005 International Youth Day in Cologne, Germany. On Friday night it is the focus of an all night vigil in Guildford.

The following day, Saturday 10 January, the Cross will be received in London at St George's Cathedral in Westminster Bridge Road. The arrival is expected around 12.30pm before a special service is held at 1pm.

At 3.30pm the Cross will be taken in procession across Westminster Bridge to Westminster Cathedral. Afterwards the Cross will go on to Reading and Plymouth before arriving in Scotland.