Aberystwyth church to receive Lampedusa Cross

Archbishop Stack

A life-size Lampedusa Cross - made from the wreckage of boats which sank en route from Libya to Europe while carrying refugees - has been commissioned to sit in a recently rededicated Aberystwyth church.

The Bishop of Menevia, Thomas Matthew Burns, commissioned the cross - which was made by Lampedusa carpenter Francesco Tuccio - to hang on the wall of the Welsh Martyrs church in Penparcau, Aberystwyth.

The cross was organised by the international development charity CAFOD, whose supporters have taken on pilgrimages with a Lampedusa Cross, walked over 115,000 miles in solidarity with refugees and have written over 30,000 messages of hope which were passed on to refugees and migrants.

Bishop Thomas said: "Now that a Lampedusa Cross hangs prominently on a wall of the Welsh Martyrs church, it stands for perseverance in suffering through faith, whether for Lampedusa refugees, Aberystwyth refugees, or martyred exiles returning to bring their faith to a new land.

"The Lampedusa Cross stands for sacrifice and generosity. It bears no "corpus" of Christ - because it invisibly commemorates every kind of refugee, every kind of suffering, oppressed, persecuted, or rejected person anywhere in the world, including the Lord himself who was the first to triumph over it and rise to new life."

Archbishop George Stack added: "Standing beneath the Lampedusa Cross erected in the church, I reflected on the hundreds and thousands of refugees who have had to flee their homes and families as a result of violence and persecution.

"Thank God for the work of CAFOD and other relief organisations who undertake this work with the dedicated support of so many people in our own country."

CAFOD's local representative in Aberystwyth, Therese Warwick, added: "This is the first Lampedusa Cross of its size to be commissioned in Wales. It is a great show of solidarity from the people of Aberystwyth, and we are so grateful to Archbishop George and Bishop Tom for their support."

Find out more about CAFOD's work with refugees at: https://cafod.org.uk/Give/Donate-to-Emergencies/Refugee-Crisis-Appeal