Q. 1. What is the purpose of the Processional Crucifix in the Catholic Church?

A. 1. The Processional Cross is a crucifix which is carried in Catholic processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according to Bede. Other sources suggest that all churches were expected to possess one. They became detachable from their staffs, so that the earliest altar crosses were processional crosses placed on a stand at the end of the procession. In large churches the "crux gemmata", or richly jewelled cross in precious metal, was the preferred style. Notable early examples include the Cross of Justin II (possibly a hanging votive cross originally), Cross of Lothair, and Cross of Cong.

In the Roman Catholic processions, the Processional Crosses preceded by incense and flanked or followed with candles. The cross is brought up to the Altar by an Altar Server who has been chosen to serve as crucifer.

The processional cross, in accordance with Catholic Tradition, will usually be a crucifix, a cross with a corpus (body of Christ) on it. [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processional_cross]