Pope Francis’ coat of arms and motto, explained | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and views

Pope Francis’ coat of arms and motto, explained | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and views
By Catherine Harmon

Today Pope Francis’ official coat of arms and papal motto were unveiled at a Vatican press conference. The coat of arms is almost identical to the one he used as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, except the wide-brimmed cardinal’s hat at the top of the shield has been replaced by a miter, and the papal keys have been added.

From the Vatican Information Service, here are details about the symbols found on Francis’ coat of arms:

The shield has a bright blue background, at the centre top of which is a yellow radiant sun with the IHS christogram on it representing Jesus (it is also the Jesuit logo). The IHS monogram, as well as a cross that pierces the H, are in red with three black nails directly under them. Under that, to the left, is a star representing Mary, Mother of Christ and the Church. To the right of the star is a nard flower representing Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. With these symbols the Pope demonstrates his love for the Holy Family.

Francis’ papal motto, displayed with the coat of arms, is also the same as the one he used as a bishop; it is “miserando atque eligendo,” which in Latin means “by having mercy, by choosing him.” It is taken from a homily of the Venerable Bede on the call of St. Matthew: “Jesus saw the tax collector and by having mercy chose him as an Apostle saying to him: Follow me.” Vatican Radio explains the significance of this passage to the Holy Father:

This homily, which focuses on divine mercy and is reproduced in the Liturgy of the Hours on the Feast of Saint Matthew, has taken on special significance in the Pope's life and spiritual journey.

In fact it was on the Feast of Saint Matthew in 1953 that a young, seventeen-year-old Jorge Bergoglio was touched by the mercy of God and felt the call to religious life in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

Episcopal—and papal—coats of arms have a long history in the Church, dating back to the Middle Ages. From the Vatican’s website:

There is an at least 800-year-old tradition for Popes to have their own personal coat of arms, in addition to the symbols proper to the Apostolic See. Particularly during the Renaissance and the centuries that followed, it was customary to mark with the arms of the reigning Supreme Pontiff all his principal works. Indeed, Papal coats of arms appear on buildings and in various publications, decrees and documents.

Popes often used their family shield or composed their own with symbols indicating their ideal of life or referring to past events or experiences, or even elements connected with specific Pontifical programmes. At times, they even added a variant to a shield that they had adopted on becoming a Bishop.Details on Pope Benedict XVI’s papal coat of arms and motto (“Cooperatores Veritatis”—“Co-workers of the Truth”) can be read here. Explanations of Pope John Paul II’s shield and motto (“Totus Tuus”—“All yours”) are here.

Habemus Papam!

Interesting Fact About the Papacy

Here are some interesting facts about the papacy: 

• The word pope means “father.” 
• The pope is known as the “Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth.” The word “vicar” comes from the Latin term vicarius meaning “substitute.” 
• The pope does not eat in public. 
• The longest Pontificate was most likely our first pope (Simon) Peter who reigned from the crucifixion/Pentecost until his martyrdom in the 60‘s. Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) which lasted almost 32 years would, technically, be a close second. 
• The term Pontiff comes from the Latin term for “bridge.” 
• The shortest Pontificate was Stephen II (752) which lasted one day, followed by Urban VII who died just twelve days after taking office and John Paul I who died after only thirty-three days in the Chair of Peter (1978). 
• Pope Paul VI was the first pope to travel by plane. 
• The pope does not have to be a Cardinal . . . he doesn’t even have to be a priest. Any baptized male can be elected pope, actually, but the last time the cardinals chose a “non-cardinal” was 1378, when they elected Urban VI. The last pope who was not a priest was Leo X (1513). 

• This is Pope Leo X – He wasn’t even a priest when he was elected pope! 
• When someone is elected pope they take a new name. The most commonly taken name has been John (used 23 times), followed by Gregory and Benedict (both taken 16 times). Only two popes have taken two names: John Paul I and John Paul II. 
• To date, 81 popes have been canonized. Nine popes have been beatified. 
• Pope (Emeritus) Benedict XVI has a license to fly a helicopter, but not to drive a car. 
• There have been over 260 popes since St. Peter. Out of that number, 205 have been Italian, 19 have been French, 14 Greeks, 8 Syrians, 6 Germans, 3 Africans, 2 Spaniards, 1 Austrian, 1 Palestinian, 1 Englishman, 1 Dutchman, and 1 Pole (that was John Paul II). 
• Nine different men held the title of Pope during the 20th Century. 
• The first pope to live in the Vatican was Nicholas III (1277-1280). 
• The oldest pope(s) ever elected were Celestine III and Celestine V (both 85 years old), Adrian I seems to be next at 80 years of age. 
• The youngest pope elected was believed to be Benedict IX (1032 AD), who many historians believe was “elected” at 12 and assumed the papacy at about 20 years. Some say Pope John XII (at 18 years old) was the youngest. Still others point to Leo X or Clement VII. It all depends on what historical “source” you listen to and when they were “elected” versus when they actually took the chair. 

• The pope’s car is called the “Popemobile.” There are at least 20 Popemobiles scattered around the world. The Vatican garage houses six of the four-ton vehicles. Land Rover made the first armored Popemobile in 1982, after the assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II. Popemobiles have also been made by Fiat, Renault, Peugeot, GM, Toyota and Mercedes Benz. 
• The pope has a number of titles, actually. He is: 
• Bishop of Rome 
• Vicar of Jesus Christ 
• Successor to the Prince of the Apostles 
• Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church 
• Patriarch of the West 
• Primate of Italy 
• Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Province of Rome 
• Sovereign of the Vatican City 
• Servant of the Servants of God

SOURCE:  LIFETEEN - CLICK THIS TO READ MORE