Amber Rose recently stirred up some controversy when she debuted an inverted cross tattoo on her forehead during the “Made in America” festival in Philadelphia.
“Why the upside down cross tho,” one commenter asked.
“Need to turn that cross right side up and get with #TeamJesus,” another poster said.
Rose dismissed the rumors that the cross was a symbol of Satanism on Twitter.
“An upside down cross is a St. Peter’s cross…..it is not satanic,” she wrote. “Look it up before u speak ignorance. Good Day.”
While Rose is technically correct, the Cross of St. Peter has, in recent times, been widely used as an anti-Christian symbol. Typically, inversion of any religious icon is used to symbolize the antithesis of that icon.
The origin of the inverted cross, however, is from the Catholic tradition that Simon Peter was crucified upside down. It is believed that he requested this form of crucifixion because he felt he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. As a result, some Catholics use the inverted, or Petrine, cross in place of the traditional Latin cross as a symbol of humility.
The inverted cross can also be found engraved on the papal throne. According to Roman Catholicism, the Pope is Peter’s successor as the Bishop of Rome, and the papal throne is symbolic of the “chair of Peter.”
Amber Rose has also stated in the past that she is Christian. As for the inverted cross tattoo on her forehead, it appears to be temporary.