ANALYSIS: Pope Leo XIV and his Augustinian papacy

ROME (OSV News) -- In his self-introduction to a new universal flock, Pope Leo XIV drew attention to his ties with the Order of St. Augustine, in which he first professed vows in 1977.

"I am an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine," he said, before quoting the order's patron: "With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop."

The Augustinian spirituality has been a subtle undercurrent in the first days of the pontificate of Pope Leo, who served as prior general of the order from 2001 to 2013. One needs to look no further for evidence than the first homily he delivered at the Mass with cardinals the morning after his election, in which is found a thorough formation in the thought, spirituality and theology of St. Augustine.

This is underscored in the recurring themes that continue to arise in Pope Leo's first homilies and speeches, particularly a profound Christocentrism and focus on unity and peace, as well as a mission-oriented outlook.

After Pope Leo's election, it was reported that he wore a pectoral cross, which is worn over the chest by bishops of the Roman rite, containing relics of five Augustinian models of holiness, including St. Augustine and his holy mother, St. Monica. Others were St. Thomas of Villanova, a Spanish archbishop and influential reformer; Blessed Anselmo Polanco, a martyr of the Spanish civil war; and Venerable Giuseppe Menochio, an official in the Roman Curia who experienced difficulty for loyalty to the pope over Napoleon.

Above all, Pope Leo has shown a deep devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ and his Blessed Mother Mary. He has spoken of the need for greater conformity and unity with Christ. In his first homily at a Mass with the cardinals on May 9, Pope Leo stressed the need to "move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified (see Jn 3:30), to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him."

"It is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God' (Mt 16:16)," he preached.

In his first Sunday homily as pope, at a Mass at St. Peter's tomb, Pope Leo emphasized the need to follow Christ more closely: "He is the one who gives us life: the way and the truth and the life."

The title "Mother of Good Counsel" was added in 1903 by Pope Leo XIII to the popular Marian devotion known as the Litany of Loreto, which seeks the intercession of the Blessed Mother under many diverse and significant titles.

Pope Pius XII, pope at the time of the future Pope Leo's birth, entrusted his pontificate to Mary under the title of Mother of Good Counsel. The Augustinians have promoted devotion to Mary under this title for centuries and preserved a reportedly miraculous image at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel at Genazzano, about an hour by car east of Rome. It was to this shrine, which the Augustinians have cared for since the 1300s, that Pope Leo chose to make his first trip out of the Vatican on May 10.

"I wanted so much to come here in these first days of the new ministry of carrying out the mission of the successor of Peter that the church has entrusted to me," he said before departing.

In a book of intentions at the shrine, Pope Leo wrote of how Our Lady of Good Counsel "throughout my life has accompanied me with her maternal presence, with her wisdom, and with the example of her love for the Son, who is always the center of my faith -- the way, the truth, and the life. Thank you, Mother, for your help -- accompany me in this new mission."

The new pope's devotion to the Blessed Mother also features predominantly in his coat of arms, which incorporates several elements of his devotions and Augustinian spirituality. The top left portion of Pope Leo's coat of arms features a white fleur-de-lis on a blue background, the traditional color associated with Mary. The fleur-de-lis, a traditional French depiction of the lily associated with Mary's purity, also evokes Pope Leo's paternal French-Canadian ancestry.

The lower right half of the shield has a beige background and displays an image that recalls the Order of St. Augustine: a closed book with a heart pierced by an arrow. The book, which represents the Word of God -- God's communication revealed in history -- was fundamental to the conversion of St. Augustine. Atop the book is depicted Augustine's restless heart, of which he spoke in his autobiographical "Confessions." The heart pierced by God's word -- represented by the arrow -- led to his conversion and satisfied his every longing.

The motto featured on Pope Leo's coat of arms -- "In Illo uno unum," Latin for "In the One, we are one" -- comes from a sermon of St. Augustine on Psalm 127. In examining the psalm, St. Augustine explains, "When I speak of Christians in the plural, I understand one in the One Christ. You are therefore many, and you are one; we are many, and we are one."

In a 2023 interview, the former-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost explained: "Unity and communion are part of the charism of the Order of St. Augustine and also of my way of acting and thinking ... promoting unity and communion is fundamental."

This motto gives testimony to the centrality of the Augustinian charism in Pope Leo's spiritual life and ministry, at its heart a yearning for unity and a mission to nourish communion in the Church and in the world. By providence, at a time of division in the church, the new pope's motto indicates that we must avoid false starting points of unity -- and embrace our true starting point that can only be found in Christ alone.