Pope Leo's Coat of Arms (Symbolism Explained)

Pope Leo XIV's motto is "In Illo Uno Unum", which translates to "In the one Christ we are one". This phrase, from a sermon by Saint Augustine, emphasizes the oneness and unity of the Church.

The top left half symbolizes his devotion to Mary, the Immaculate one.

The white fleur de lis is on a blue background is for Mary.

Fleur de lis is French for ‘the lily flower’ or ‘flower of the lily’’. In Catholic symbology, the lily represents the Virgin Mary.

The color white represents her Immaculate Conception.

The color blue is the Catholic's favorite color assigned to Mary. It reminds us of her place in heaven.

The three petals in the fleur de lis symbol point to Mary’s radiance, royalty and purity.

The symbol also refers to the Holy Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So in one symbol, the relationship between the Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity emerges. Some interpret the cross bar or bracket that holds the three leaves or petals together at the base of the symbol as representing Mary. Those three bars or three gems reflect Mary's different relationships with each Person of the Trinity. Mary has a unique relationship with the triune God. Mary is the daughter of the Father, mother of the Son and spouse of the Holy Spirit.

* When Pope Leo III in 800 crowned Charlemagne as emperor, he is reported to have presented him with a blue banner covered with a golden fleurs-de-lis symbol. The symbol was later adopted by many European noble families, most notably the French monarchy, to establish an association with the Church. Today the Fleur de lis symbol continues to remind us of Christendom, a time when the Church and Europe were synonymous. It is still featured on the traditional flags of Albania, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, France, England, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Serbia, United States (Louisiana Creole people and New Orleans) as well as many other cities and territories influenced by France. Pope Leo XIV has family ties to New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Creole community.

The bottom right half symbolizes his Augustinian formation and spirituality.

The heart pierced by an arrow is on top of a book with a white background.

The flaming heart looks like the sacred heart of Jesus but it's actually the human heart. It symbolizes Augustine's love of God and love of neighbor. The Augustinian heart is 'passionately alive, with the desire to know God and experience divine love in our lives'.

The open book represents the Sacred Scriptures as the Word of God, source of light and truth, and the quest for wisdom. It also refers to St. Augustine’s conversion to Christianity which is detailed in his book, The Confessions.

The arrow which pierces the heart represents God piercing our hearts, calling us to continued growth in faith, hope and love. We each have a God-shaped hole in our hearts. This is the basis of every human's innate desire for God and the restlessness which led St. Augustine to seek God in all things and above all things. He said, "Our hearts are restless Lord until they rest in you."