Did the cross turn purple?
The Gazette asks whether the cross did indeed turn purple when Pope Francis died, but the answer is even more confusing – maybe it did, but not on purpose?
I was struck by this, in the coda, a statement from the dear old Société St‑Jean‑Baptiste: “(The cross) represents the francophonie”. It does?
Joey 14:47 on 2025-05-13 Permalink
I guess the SSJB is desperate for some decision to exclude Muslim Quebeckers from the preferred status afforded to white French-speaking Catholics.
Ian 16:19 on 2025-05-13 Permalink
I guess that’s to make sure that they aren’t violating secularism laws, lol.
Andrew 09:31 on 2025-05-14 Permalink
The SSJB built the cross in the 20s and gave it to the city, which is the missing context on why they’re being asked for a quote at all.
The article also mentions the 1992 fiber optic/LED system, but that system was replaced with the current RGB LEDs in 2009, only year before they decided never to use the colours.
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/200902/04/01-823922-nouvel-eclairage-pour-la-croix-du-mont-royal.php