The Coat of Arms of Pope Leo XIV

The Coat of Arms of Pope Leo XIV

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The coat of arms of Pope Leo ix is beginning to appear on the facades of churches throughout Rome, replacing that of his predecessor Pope Francis (r. 2013-25). 

The shield of ​Leo XIV's coat of arms comprises a silver fleur-de-lis on a blue background and a book on which rests a flaming heart pieced by an arrow.

The fleur-de-lis is a classic symbol of the Virgin Mary, while the blue background signifies heaven.

The flaming heart pierced by an arrow is the emblem of the Augustinian Order, to which Leo XIV belongs. The image represents the words of St Augustine (354-430) in his autobiography Confessions in Thirteen Books, which he wrote between 397 and 400:  'Sagittaveras tu cor meum charitate tua' ('You have wounded my heart with your love'). The book symbolises the Word of God capable of transforming the heart of every man, as it was for St Augustine. 

The motto, IN ILLO UNO UNUM (In the one Christ we are one), also recalls the words of Saint Augustine.

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