The papal mottoalso called papal motto or apostolic mottois a short phrase or word, traditionally written in Latin, chosen by the Pope at the moment of the appointment, after the decision of the Conclave, to express the mission he wants to carry on during the pontificate. This tradition, which came to the present day with the apostolic motto of Pope Francis, was born in the Renaissance when Gregory XIII In 1500 he was the first Pope to adopt a motto to declare his intent. The recently disappeared Argentine pontiff, with his significant motto “Mising Atque Eligando“, he introduced a peculiarity including it in his own papal coat of arms. This heraldic custom, parallel to the choice of motto, is full of meanings that often reflect the personal history, spirituality and ministerial vision of the Pope, a tradition that began with Innocent III (1198-1216), the first pontiff whose coat of arms you know.
The motto of Pope Francis and other Popes of the 1900s
The tradition of papal mottos has been handed down for more than 500 years and also the recent Popes have chosen their motto. Many popes, including Pope Francis, have maintained the same motto chosen when they are appointed Archbishop.
- Pope Francis (2013 – 2025): when he was elected, he chose as a motto “Mising Atque Eligando” – “Looking with love and choosing”a step taken from the homilies of San Beda the venerable. This sentence, unlike the other Popes of history, also appears in its episcopal coat of arms which, characterized by a considerable simplicity, presents the symbol of the Company of Jesus, an eight -pointed star that symbolizes the Virgin Mary and a Nardo flower that represents St. Joseph. Above the shield is the machine gun, flanked by the keys of San Pietro Decussate.
- Benedict XVI (2005 – 2013): he adopted “Cooperatores Veritatis” -“Collaborators of truth“.
- Pope John Paul II (1978 – 2005): addressing the Virgin Mary chose “Totus Tuus” – “All yours”.
- Pope John I (1978): he had chosen, in perfect consistency with his pontificate sober, “Humilitas” -“Humility“
- Pope Paul VI (1963 – 1978): used “In appointments domains” – “In the name of the Lord“.
- John XXIIII (1958 – 1863): the Pope who organized the Vatican Council II To renew and reorganize the Church after the Second World War, he chose “Oboedientia et pax” -“Obedience and peace“.
- Pope Pius XII (1939 – 1958): elected at the beginning of the war, he chose “Opus Iustitiae Pax” -“The work of justice is peace“.
The tradition of the papal motto
The first pope to choose a personal motto was Gregory XIIIthe same pope who introduced the calendar reform giving life to the Gregorian calendar, what is currently used. Gregory XIII, born Ugo Boncompagni, chose as a motto “Aperuit et clausit” – “The one who opens and closes“obviously referring to the symbolic doors of the Catholic Church, as a sign of authority.
THE Papal mottos have evolved over the centuries: if in the past they expressed in a more rigorous way a theological direction and a doctrinal imprint, in recent decades they have been chosen by the popes to declare a real personal and characteristic intentas if to reflect the spirituality and the line of every single Pope.
