Although the Vatican has not yet made public the official Pope’s coat of arms, it is not yet available. Leo XIVthe Augustinian Recollect Friar Rafael NietoRafael Nieto, an expert in ecclesiastical heraldry, has presented a artistic proposal inspired by the coat of arms used by the new Pontiff as bishop and cardinal. His design, which incorporates elements of the pontifical coat of arms, reflects the Marian devotion and the Marian devotion and the Augustinian identity that have marked the life of the new Pope.
A symbolic proposal with spiritual roots
In recent statements, Friar Rafael explained that the proposal is not officialbut based on traditional heraldic criteria and on the spirituality of the Pope himself. The design is based on the coat of arms that Leo XIV used during his time as bishop and cardinal, adapting it with the characteristic symbols of a pontifical coat of arms: 
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The two crossed keys (gold and silver), symbol of the power conferred on Peter.
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The papal tiara with three crownsa sign of the pope’s threefold ministry: priest, prophet and king.
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The Pope’s episcopal motto of the Pope: In illo uno unum (In the One, one only).
“I wanted to respect the coat of arms that he already used, and add the ornaments proper to the papal coat of arms, without altering its identity,” says Fray Rafael.
Blue of Mary, heart of Augustine
The proposed coat of arms is divided into two fields. The upper one, blueshows a fleur-de-listhe classic symbol of the Virgin Mary and an expression of the Pope’s Marian devotion. Some have also seen in it a possible reference to French family roots.
The lower field represents the Augustinian spiritualityspirituality: a heart pierced by a dartnext to an open book. These elements refer to St. Augustine’s passionate love for God and truth, and to Leo XIV’s desire to be a pope with a pastoral heart and a luminous mind.
“He is a shield that communicates prayer, wisdom and tenderness,” says Friar Raphael. “And that is also what we are beginning to see in the Pope.”
In the One, one only
The Episcopal motto In illo uno unum is a direct quotation from St. Augustine and expresses a vision of the Church united in God. vision of a Church united in Godwhere plurality does not divide, but merges into communion. This motto, which the Pope has maintained, sums up his whole life as a religious sums up his entire life as a religious, bishop and now as the Successor of Peter..
“It is not a question of uniformity, but of unity in love”.Rafael emphasizes.
Waiting for the official coat of arms, a sign of communion
While the Holy See prepares the publication of the official coat of arms of Pope Leo XIV, this artistic proposal by Friar Rafael Nieto invites us to contemplate with the eyes of the heart what ecclesial heraldry wants to express: the soul of the shepherd, his faith history, and the style with which he will lead the Church.the soul of the shepherd, his history of faith, and the style with which he will guide the Church.
From the Augustinian Recollect family, we welcome this initiative as a gesture of communion, art and service to the Pope, and we continue to pray for his pontificate.We continue to pray for his pontificate, which is already beginning to leave its mark with gestures of simplicity, closeness and hope.
