VATICAN (SE): The Holy See Press Office revealed Pope Leo XIV’s official motto and coat of arms.
The coat of arms reflects Pope Leo’s Augustinian roots and the values he wants promote during his pontificate, particularly unity and communion within the Church. It is divided diagonally into two sections. The upper half features a blue background with a white lily. The lower half has a light background and displays an image that recalls the Order of Saint Augustine: a closed book with a heart pierced by an arrow. This is a direct reference to the conversion experience of St. Augustine who described his personal encounter with God’s Word saying: “Vulnerasti cor meum verbo tuo” [You have pierced my heart with your Word].
The motto: “In Illo uno unum” [In the One, we are one], taken from St. Augustine’s Exposition on Psalm 127, where he explains that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”
In 2023, then-Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost told Vatican News: “As can be seen from my episcopal motto, unity and communion are truly part of the charism of the Order of Saint Augustine, and also of my way of acting and thinking.” He added, “I believe it is very important to promote communion in the Church, and we know well that communion, participation, and mission are the three key words of the Synod. So, as an Augustinian, for me promoting unity and communion is fundamental.”
Augustine’s reflection on Psalm 127 highlights the theological foundation of this idea. “Christ – head and body – is one single man. And what is the body of Christ? His Church,” Augustine writes. He then adds, “Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one. We are many and we are one – because we are united to Him, and if our Head is in heaven, the members will follow.”
