The Coat of Arms of Pope Francis

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Coat of arms of Pope Francis, Chiesa del Gesu

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Exactly ten years ago, on March 13th 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected pope, becoming the first Jesuit and the first South-American to hold the office. He was also the first pope to take the name Francesco. 

Within a short period his coat of arms began to appear on the facades of Rome's churches, including, of course, the Chiesa del Gesu, the mother church of the Jesuits.

Pope Francis decided to keep the coat of arms he had chosen when he was consecrated a bishop. At the top of the blue shield is the emblem of  the Society of Jesus, a radiant sun bearing the letters IHS, the monogram of the Jesuits. The letter H is crowned with a cross and below are three black nails. Lower down on the shield there is a star and a spikenard, symbols, respectively, of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. 

The shield is crowned with the symbols of papal authority, the crossed keys of St Peter. However, Pope Francis, in common with his predecessor Benedict XIV (r. 2005-13), elected to replace the traditional papal tiara with a bishop's mitre.  

Pope Francis's motto is: MISERANDO ATQUE ELIGENDO (By having mercy, by choosing him), which is taken from a homily by the Venerable Bede (c. 672-735). 

Related post: Papal Coats of Arms. ​