It has been ten days since Pope Leo XIV, the next Bishop of Rome, was declared following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday (April 21). The 69-year-old has since had his first mass, in which he spoke English, and has made his social media debut ahead of his impending first mass, which will be held at the Vatican on Sunday (18 May).
But, before that, the world got a glimpse of Pope Leo’s official papal portrait, and people were quick to dispute one feature about it. It didn’t take long for people to rush online to share their comments on the image, which shows the Chicago-born pope dressed in white robes with a huge gold cross around his neck, softly smiling head-on. Pope Leo’s Coat of Arms lies in the lower right corner of the image, along with some Latin lettering that reads: “In illo uno unum.”
The phrase translates as ‘In the One, we are one’. Next to it is a handwritten sign-off, presumably written by Pope Leo, that reads: “Leo P.P.XIV.” One Reddit member wondered what the acronym stood for, asking, “What does the ‘P.P.’ in the middle mean?” A second person responded, “I’ve been wanting to know that for years. I believe the abbreviation ‘P.M.’ stood for ‘Pontifex Maximus’.
“However, recent popes have used ‘P.P.’. When I looked it up recently, I discovered that it meant ‘Pastor Pastorum’, which translates to ‘Pastor of Pastors’/’Shepherd of Shepherds’. “I’m not sure if that’s accurate but it sounds more plausible to me than other suggestions (for example ‘Papa et Pontifex’ – ‘Pope and Pontiff’).”
A third responded, “You are accurate. “It is Pastor Pastorum.” Earlier today (16 May), the pontiff made some really bold pronouncements about marriage and abortion.
According to AP News, he stated that a family is established on the’stable union between a man and a woman’, a statement that plainly excludes any non-heteronormative relationships. Pope Leo reiterated that governments must establish peaceful societies “above all by investing in the family, which is founded on the stable union between a man and a woman.” “In addition, no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike,” according to him.
