The Coat of Arms of Pope Leo XIV: Symbols and Meanings of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost

Robert Francis Prevost, 69, an American, is the new Pope. The Chicago-born cardinal has chosen the name Leo XIV. Prevost, formerly prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and appointed cardinal by Pope Francis, spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being elected to lead the Augustinians for two consecutive terms. Cardinal Prevost was among the papabili but not among the favourites of the predictions.

Motto: In Illo unum uno (In the one Christ we are one)

Scheme: The shield is divided into two parts. On the left the stylised symbol of the white lily on a blue field indicates purity and innocence and is often associated with the Virgin Mary. On the right, on a white field, the sacred heart of Jesus - placed above a closed book - is pierced by an arrow.

Message: Prevost, therefore, proposes a missionary and Marian Church, united, despite its differences, in its love for Christ the Saviour and willing to suffer and commit all of itself in the service of the Christian people. The motto takes up the words of St Augustine in his commentary on Psalm 127.