Why is a Protestant cross different from a Catholic Cross?

Answer 1

Possibly because Protestants feel that Genuflection is a superstitious response by worshippers having seen the Priest give the sign of the blessing in the name of the Triune God. As the cross is empty Christ no longer being there, it is not considered seemly to make the sign of the cross as this possibly disrespects the risen Christ - although to Orthodox and Roman Catholics it is presumably a sign of respect.

Answer 2

They both symbolise Christ's salvation on the Cross.

However, the Catholic Church tend to use crucifixes more (crosses with the figure of a dying Christ on them) as they emphasise the death of Christ as salvation for all humanity.

However, mant Protestant Churches use the bare Cross more as this symbolises the resurrection of Christ.

There is no real difference in the merits of each Church's theology of salvation or tradition - the adoption of a particular type of Cross is just a mattter of custom and taste.

Roman Catholic AnswerThe thing that saved mankind is Our Blessed Lord accepting the passion and death on the Cross in obedience to the Father's Will. In this, He fulfilled the Passover of the Lord and won for us our salvation. As this is the central fact of Our Blessed Lord's life, we use the Crucifix to call it to mind, to honor Him, and to apply His Sacrifice in our daily lives. To the best of my knowledge, protestants deny that they have to do anything to cooperate with God's saving of them, and thus they deny that Eternal Sacrifice that Our Blessed Lord did for us, in particular, they deny the Most Holy Eucharist, which is the application of His Death to all of our lives. Thus they use an empty cross, saying that this is to honor His Resurrection.

Answer 3

Catholic Answer The sacrifice of Our Blessed Lord of His life on the Cross is what accomplished our salvation. This sacrifice is made present each time the Holy Mass is celebrated, and the law of the Church requires that a Crucifix (a Cross with a representation of Our Blessed Lord's Body on it) is required at every Mass. Aside from the fact that they do not believe in the Holy Mass, I really don't know why protestants do not want to remember Our Blessed Lord's Sacrifice for us.

Protestants display the plain cross without Jesus representation. This is taken to mean that Jesus not only died but was risen from the grave. Therefore the cross and the grave is empty.