Q: The rubrics for the 5th Sunday of Lent provide the option of veiling crosses and statues. The crosses are unveiled on Good Friday and the images unveiled before the Vigil. If a parish chooses to cover crosses, how does this take into consideration the rubric for Palm Sunday that states the processional cross should be decorated?
A: There is no clear answer to this from the rubrics, so one has to use one’s judgment. The veiling of crosses and statues is optional, even if the conference of bishops permits it. (The US Conference does.) It would also be acceptable to veil some crosses and statues but not all. There is complete flexibility with this custom.
If a parish wants to cover every possible cross and statue, then it can make a case for covering – and decorating – the processional cross on Palm Sunday.
If the parish views the processional cross as a festive and essential element for the procession that day, it is perfectly fine to leave it uncovered.