Sign of the cross

The Sign of the Cross is a ritual performed mainly within Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, as well as Eastern-Rite Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. For the members of the Faith, it symbolizes by manifestly marking directly on one's own body or in the air, the four points of the Cross on Calvary. It also represents loving God with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength. There are two particular arrangements one is most likely to observe. One is followed by many of the Eastern Churches, the other by the Western (Latin) Rite of Roman Catholicism and the Oriental Orthodox.

See also

• Christian cross
• Christian symbolism
• Prayer
• Veneration
• Genuflection