Exploring Pope Francis’
Coat of Arms and Motto
Pope Francis’ coat of arms remains very similar to
the one he used as Bishop of Buenos Aires.
Bishop of Buenos Aires
Pope Francis
He has replaced the Cardinal’s hat with
the Papal Mitre and
added the crossed keys of St. Peter.
The shield has a bright blue background,
at the centre top there is a yellow radiant sun with
the IHS Christogram on it representing Jesus.
(it is also the Jesuit logo).
The IHS monogram, has a cross that pierces the H,
and 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.
JESUS
MARY
JOSEPH
Francis’ papal motto, displayed with the coat of arms,
is also the same as the one he used as a bishop.
“miserando atque eligendo,”
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.”
INVESTIGATION TASKS
Why is the
Mitre the Papal
hat?
What does the
burning sun
represent?
Why are there
3 nails
depicted?
Why is Mary
represented by
a star?
Why is the H
pierced with a
cross?
What do the
letters IHS
stand for?
Why do the
cross keys
represent St.
Peter and his
successors?
What
significance
does the nard
flower have
for St. Joseph?
Read the Gospel of St.
Matthew 9:9-13
Discuss the message of the
Gospel passage in pairs or
groups
Explain in your own words
why you think Pope Francis
chose his motto
Further Investigation
Choose one of the following to investigate further:
• the coat of arms and motto of your diocese
• the coat of arms and motto of a previous Pope.
• Research and explain in your own words why the
Pope chose Francis as his name.