ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Forked cross

Okay kiddo, do you know what a fork looks like? It's a tool we use to eat our food, right? Well, a forked cross is a very similar shape to a fork, but it's not for eating food. It's actually a symbol that's used in different ways by different groups.

In Christianity, the forked cross is known as the Patriarchal Cross. It's a symbol of the Pope, who is the leader of the Catholic Church. It's made up of two lines of equal length that cross each other at the halfway point, forming a right angle. One line is longer than the other, representing the vertical line of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The shorter line represents the crossbar.

However, there are other groups that use a similar shape for their own symbols. The most famous is probably the swastika, which was used by the Nazi party in Germany during World War II. The Nazi swastika is different from the forked cross, but they share a similar shape. Because of the association with the Nazis, the forked cross is sometimes seen as a symbol of hate and bigotry.

It's important to remember that symbols can have different meanings to different people, and some symbols can be hurtful or offensive. It's always a good idea to think about the feelings of the people around you before using a symbol that might have a negative connotation.