#pontificate

•

—

Pope Leo XIV's coat of arms offers a clear reflection of his Augustinian roots and the values he seeks to promote during his pontificate, particularly unity and communion within the Church.

The shield is divided diagonally into two sections.

The upper half features a blue background with a white lily.

The lower half of the shield has a light background and displays an image that recalls the Order of Saint Augustine: a closed book with a heart pierced by an arrow.

This is a direct reference to the conversion experience of Saint Augustine himself, who described his personal encounter with God’s Word using the phrase:

“Vulnerasti cor meum verbo tuo”

“You have pierced my heart with your Word.”

Pope Leo XIV has also chosen a motto that reflects this Augustinian tradition: In Illo uno unum, which means “In the One, we are one.”

I love children and at some point I thought I’d have one or two! However, I decided to become childfree a few months ago. My main reason was the state of the world environmentally wise. The planet is in such a poor state and it’s only going to get worse. If you knew that your kids would suffer the consequences of environmental decay, would you still have them? Im talking about extreme heat, lack of water and resources, etc.

It’s nice to think that “future generations” will care for the world, and that our kids “could be the ones to save the planet” but that’s rarely ever true.

Wow. Thank you for entrusting me with this question. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet and not pontificate.

As much as I really, really want my own children, I hear you. I am truly quite scared to bring babies into this world. But then I think to myself: when would I have felt safe? If it wasn’t the climate or what have you would it be disease, or war, or maternal mortality rates?

The world will always have dangers and crises and I think it’s important to, even as we try to solve them, remember that this isn’t the first and it won’t be the last. To your point, the human impact on the environment is a concerning thing, but we shouldn’t get catastrophic about it, because that won’t do anything. We know we have a problem, and in fact, many countries are making steps to more sustainable stewardship. It helps me to remember that humans can make positive impacts as well as negative ones, and that the world is resilient, even in spite of us.

I think having children is a revolutionary and brave and hopeful act. Your parents didn’t know you’d be facing all the things we’re facing today, but you’re still here, and you can still make a difference.

But I want to say again, I so understand your fears, and I want to affirm that having children is a personal choice, and it’s not for everyone (and that’s a completely nonjudgmental statement, by the way!)

Saint Peter