A Lampedusa Cross, hand-carved from the driftwood of capsized refugee boats is being displayed in Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Middlesbrough in an act of solidarity with the plight of refugees.
The cross will be presented to Monsignor Gerard Robinson VG at a Mass at Saint Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday 1st September at 6.30pm. Representatives from refugee and Christian organisations including Caritas, will be in attendance to show their solidarity with CAFOD. The Lampedusa cross will then be displayed in the Cathedral for three weeks, where visitors can pray and leave messages of hope. It will then be taken on a tour of the Middlesbrough Diocese where special events and installations will be held throughout the autumn to celebrate the Year of Mercy.
As part of a campaign led by the Catholic charities CAFOD, CSAN and the Jesuit Refugee Service, each Catholic cathedral in England and Wales has been presented with a cross and invited to display it.
The Lampedusa crosses act as symbols for communities in England and Wales as they respond to the refugee crisis. Parishes across the Middlesbrough Diocese will organise pilgrimages with the cross, to show solidarity with refugees arriving in the UK, as well as praying for those far from our shores.
CAFOD representative in the Middlesbrough Diocese, Carol Cross, said: “We hope that by walking this pilgrimage in the cathedral we can walk in solidarity alongside people who are suffering.
“The carpenter from Lampedusa who made the cross, Francesco Tuccio, has, by creating this simple, handmade cross, given us a symbol of hope, solidarity and love. We also feel we are answering the call of Pope Francis to show our love for those who are suffering.”