Chapter 11

HABEMUS PAPAM

Pope Leo XIV

Meet Our New Pope

Pope Leo XIV is the 267th Bishop of Rome.

Biography

Statement from the Diocese

The Administrator of the Diocese of San Diego, Bishop Michael Pham, released a statement on the election of the new pope.

Read Statement

Key Dates

Ordained Priest: 
June 19, 1982

Appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru: 
September 26, 2015

Installed as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops:
April 12, 2023 

Elevated to Cardinal:
September 30, 2023 

Elected Pope:
May 8, 2025 

About the Coat of Arms

Pray

The novendiales period of mourning takes place from April 26 to May 4, 2025.

Pray Novena
Three lit candles with bright flames in a row against a dark background.

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Apostolic Exhortations and Encyclicals

The novendiales period of mourning takes place from April 26 to May 4, 2025.

Amoris Laetitia

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Evangelii gaudium

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

Gaudete et exsultate

The Joy of Love experienced by families
is also the joy of the Church. As the
Synod Fathers noted, for all the many signs of
crisis in the institution of marriage, “the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and this is an inspiration to the Church”. As a response to that desire, “the Christian proclamation on the family is good news indeed”.

Read Document

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Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

About the Coat of Arms

Pope Leo XIV’s devotion to St. Augustine, his life and ministry as a member of the Augustinian order and his focus on the unity of the church are reflected in his episcopal motto and coat of arms.

When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after his election May 8, he introduced himself as “a son of St. Augustine.”

And he explained that the cardinals who elected him “have chosen me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you as a Church, united, ever pursuing peace and justice, ever seeking to act as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, in order to proclaim the Gospel without fear, to be missionaries.”

His episcopal motto is, “In Illo uno unum,” or literally “In the One, we are one.”

The phrase is taken from St. Augustine’s “Exposition on Psalm 127,” where he explains that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”

“As can be seen from my episcopal motto, unity and communion are truly part of the charism of the Order of St. Augustine, and also of my way of acting and thinking,” he said,

His shield is divided diagonally into two. The upper half features a blue background with a white lily or fleur-de-lis, symbolizing the Virgin Mary, but also his French heritage.

The lower half of the shield has a light background and displays an image common to the religious orders named after and inspired by St. Augustine: a closed book with a heart pierced by an arrow.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms depicts a red boat on a blue ocean, which is crisscrossed by diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is often referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, who was known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic and cultural communities. The red of the boat, the beehive and the tongues of fire allude to the blood of the martyrs.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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