The Sign of the Cross, Right to Left

Have you noticed that Byzantine Catholics make the Sign of the Cross from right to left, the opposite of Roman Catholics? Let’s take a look at how these two traditions compare in this lesson. I’m your host, Shalone Cason, and let’s begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

A prayer of faith

By the sign of the holy Cross, the Christian professes faith in the Most Holy Trinity

— Christ – Our Pascha 626

The Sign of the Cross is a prayer made with the whole body. As we say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” we name the Trinity. The catechism adds that we also profess the Incarnation, that God’s Son became man. The words are short, but they hold the heart of the faith. The catechism asks us to make the sign with the right hand, devoutly and without haste.

Right shoulder, then left

from the forehead to the breast and from the right shoulder to the left

— Christ – Our Pascha 626

Byzantine Catholics touch the forehead, then the breast, then the right shoulder, and last the left. The catechism says that by signing ourselves crosswise like this, we profess the Paschal Mystery of Christ, his dying and rising. Every time, we confess that our salvation, accomplished on the cross by Jesus Christ, is the work of the Holy Trinity.

Three fingers and two

Joining the first three fingers of our hand is a sign of our profession of faith in the Holy Trinity

— Christ – Our Pascha 626

The thumb, forefinger and middle finger are joined for the three Persons of the Trinity. The last two fingers are bent to the palm. The catechism says this signifies our confession of two natures, divine and human, in the incarnate Son of God. So even the hand tells the faith: one God in three Persons, and Christ true God and true man.

How the West does it

the large sign of the cross was more commonly made in the West with the open hand and that the bar of the cross was traced from left to right

— Catholic Encyclopedia, Sign of the Cross

In the Roman tradition the hand goes from the left shoulder to the right. The same article says that in earlier centuries the West may have used the Eastern way, three fingers and right to left, but it admits that this point is not entirely clear. What we can say is that, by the end of the Middle Ages, the Western habit was left to right.

Different, but equal

of equal right and dignity

— Catechism 1203

Neither way is a mistake. It is the same cross, the same Trinity, and the same Lord. The Church receives both with equal respect, and each shows something of the faith. When a Byzantine Catholic and a Roman Catholic stand side by side and bless themselves in different directions, they are praying the same prayer.

And that was the Byzantine sign of the cross in a nutshell. Three fingers represent the Trinity, and two fingers represent Christ’s dual natures. Right to left or left to right, both are approved ways to make the sign of the cross. Thanks for learning with us. I’ve been your host, Shalone, and until next time, stay holy, my friends.

Sources

• Christ – Our Pascha: Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, 626
• Catholic Encyclopedia, Sign of the Cross
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1203

Written and narrated by Shalone Cason, who chose the topic, selected the points, and reviewed every line. Researched and drafted with AI assistance (Claude) from the sources above. Every quotation is checked word for word against its source.