Vatican - Arms of Leo XIV

Last modified: 2025-06-07 by rob raeside
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• Coat of Arms of Leo XIV

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• Vatican City (Holy See)
• Vatican (Holy See) - The Keys and Coat of Arms
• Vatican - Historical flags
• Roman Catholic Church
• Christian flags (index page)

Overview

Today, Pope Leo XIV reveals his coat of arms and motto.
Zoltan Horvath, 10 May 2025

Coat of Arms of Leo XIV

  image by Zoltan Horvath, 10 May 2025

Pope Leo XIV's coat of arms offers a clear reflection of his Augustinian roots and the values he seeks to promote during his pontificate, particularly unity and communion within the Church.

The shield is divided diagonally into two sections. The upper half features a blue background with a white lily. The lower half of the shield 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 Saint Augustine himself, who described his personal encounter with God’s Word using the phrase: “Vulnerasti cor meum verbo tu’ (You have pierced my heart with your Word)

Pope Leo XIV has also chosen a motto that reflects this Augustinian tradition: In Illo uno unum, which means “In the One, we are one.” The phrase is taken from Saint Augustine’s Exposition on Psalm 127, where he explains that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”
Source: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/pope-leo-xiv-s-motto-and-coat-of-arms.html

Zoltan Horvath, 10 May 2025

Interestingly, it has what must be considered a new tincture never before seen in heraldry (at least as far as I know), as the second field is blazoned as having a "light background". In his arms as a cardinal, this field was argent, but when someone becomes pope, they often change their arms somewhat (even besides the fact that the papal signs of rank are added around the shield).
Elias Granqvist, 12 May 2025

The armorial changes from Cardinal Wojtyła’s to Pope John Paul II’s arms were meant as a formal correction, replacing Sable on Azure with Or on Azure. This change from Argent to “light background” is not guided by any sort of formal correction.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 12 May 2025