Two Weeks with Pope Leo XIV: Unity, Mission, and the Hour for Love
As Pope Leo XIV begins his pontificate, the first two weeks have already offered a compelling vision of a Church grounded in unity, shaped by mission, and animated by love. From education to diplomacy, doctrine to ecumenism, the new pope has spoken with clarity and conviction, addressing both the Church and the world with urgency and hope.
A Teacher’s Desk Becomes an Altar
Pope Leo XIV’s address to the LaSallian family on May 15 set the tone for his vision of vocation. Echoing Saint John Baptist de La Salle, he declared, “Your altar is the cathedra,” elevating the teacher’s role to that of sacred ministry. In the Pope’s words, education is not merely a profession, but a consecrated mission to form young people in truth and love.
Diplomacy Begins in the Heart
The following day, in his address to the Diplomatic Corps, the Pope offered a striking moral reflection on peace. “Peace is built in the heart and from the heart,” he said, warning that “words too, not only weapons, can wound and even kill.” His message was a call for integrity in dialogue, humility in negotiation, and a deeper commitment to truth and justice in international relations.
Doctrine as Dialogue
On May 17, Pope Leo addressed the Centesimus Annus Foundation, challenging prevailing notions of doctrine as static or oppressive. True doctrine, he said, is a living tradition that invites questioning, demands discernment, and supports conscience. It must serve a “culture of encounter” and offer ethical guidance amid today’s digital confusion and shallow discourse.
The Petrine Mission: Servant of Faith and Joy
In his homily at the Mass inaugurating his Petrine ministry on May 18, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Church’s sorrow at the death of Pope Francis and the sense of being “like sheep without a shepherd.” Yet in the light of Easter, he affirmed that “the Lord never abandons his people.”
Describing the conclave as a moment of spiritual harmony, he pledged: “I was chosen, without any merit of my own… to be the servant of your faith and your joy.” His homily centered on the love of Christ — agapáo — as the foundation of Peter’s mission, and of his own.
Toward Christian Unity
Meeting with representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, the Pope recalled the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and stressed that true Christian unity must be unity in faith. “Now is the time for dialogue and building bridges,” he said, highlighting ecumenism as a top priority of his pontificate.
A Pope with the Poor and the Peripheries
Throughout the week, Pope Leo expressed solidarity with suffering peoples — in Gaza, Ukraine, and Myanmar — and urged respect for humanitarian and international law. At his first General Audience, he reflected on the parable of the sower and the seed, calling on the Church to become fertile ground for God’s word, full of hope for a coming harvest.
A Pontificate Takes Shape
With upcoming liturgies at St. John Lateran, major appointments, and new diplomatic engagements, the early days of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy already reveal a man deeply attuned to the spiritual and social needs of the Church. His motto, In Illo Uno Unum — in the One, we are one — is more than a phrase. It is a plan.
“This is the hour for love,” the Pope has declared. And with it, a new chapter for the Church begins.
Crux Stationalis 