The Viral Pope

If I were a trend reporter—which I am not—I would write a piece on the ubiquity of cross necklaces in New York City in summer 2025. They do seem to be everywhere. The woman working across from me me at the New York Society Library this morning was wearing one. I’ve seen a dozen or so on the subway. These are rarely the subtle gold cross necklaces I associate with quiet piety—I’m a relatively unobservant person, and wouldn’t notice them if they were—but rather, more often than not, Medici-style statement piece. I don’t know if the people wearing them are Christians. They are generally young or early-middle-aged, ethnically diverse, interestingly dressed in a variety of ways (which is to say, they belong to various discrete subcultures or-cores that imply some kind of effort or chosen visual aesthetic, but the cross seems to be the other unifying factors).