The leader of Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien (pictured), has called on Christians to wear a cross every day as a way of countering the marginalisation of faith from public life.

In his Easter Sunday sermon, Cardinal O’Brien said: “I hope that increasing numbers of Christians adopt the practice of wearing a cross in a simple and discreet way as a symbol of their beliefs.

“Easter provides the ideal time to remind ourselves of the centrality of the cross in our Christian faith.

“A simple lapel cross pin costs around £1. Since this is less than a chocolate Easter egg, I hope many people will consider giving some as gifts and wearing them with pride,” the Daily Mail reports.

And he voiced concern at the growing “marginalisation” of religion.

His comments come as a case is going to the European Court of Human Rights to allow employees to wear crosses.

Former nurse Shirley Chaplin, from Exeter, and Nadia Eweida, from Twickenham, who worked with British Airways, are taking their call for all employees to be able to wear a cross at work to the European Court of Human Rights.

Both women lost their discrimination cases in 2010.

An appeal court judgment upheld the Employment Appeal Tribunal’s finding that banning Ms Eweida from wearing a cross was not discriminatory because Christians “generally” do not consider wearing a cross as a requirement of their religion.

In his Easter Sunday homily at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, Cardinal O’Brien said: “Just 18 months ago, Pope Benedict XVI stood in Westminster Hall in London addressing a vast audience of politicians, diplomats, academics and business leaders.

“There he clearly stated that ‘religion is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation’.

Mrs Chaplin is being represented by the Christian Legal Centre.

Andrea Williams, its director, said it was “time for Christians everywhere to mark their allegiance to the cross”.

“I very much hope that in Europe there will be vindication for Shirley Chaplin,” she said, adding that she hoped “some sort of common sense will prevail”.

A Home Office spokesman said: “People should be able to wear crosses. The law allows for this, and employers are generally very good at being reasonable in accommodating people’s religious beliefs.”

The government says UK law “strikes the right balance” between employees’ rights to express their beliefs at work and the requirements of employers.

The law, and its application in the workplace, centres on article nine of the European Convention of Human Rights.