As the Catholic Church prepares to welcome 21 new cardinals at the solemn consistory on Dec. 7, each of the men receiving a red hat is set to arrive with a distinctive coat of arms and spiritual motto, a succinct phrase traditionally in Latin that offers a glimpse into each man’s spirituality and priorities.

The mottos, selected when a priest is consecrated as a bishop, often remain unchanged as they advance through Church hierarchy, even to the papacy.

Pope John Paul II proclaimed his total devotion to the Virgin Mary with the motto Totus Tuus (“Totally Yours”), taken from St. Louis de Montfort’s Marian consecration prayer. Pope Benedict XVI chose Cooperatores Veritatis (“Cooperators of the Truth”) from Scripture in 3 John 1:8, and Pope Francis’ motto is taken from a homily by St. Bede on the Gospel account of the call of St. Matthew: Miserando atque eligendo (“Having mercy, he chose him”).

Among the 21 cardinals to be created on Dec. 7, there are some unique mottos and imagery, including words from an ancient script from the Philippines, traditional symbols from Persian culture, and a reference to the Shroud of Turin. 

While most of the cardinals opted for mottos in Latin, others listed their mottos in Spanish, French and Ukrainian. And six of the new cardinals chose their spiritual motto from the Epistles of St. Paul in Scripture.

Here is a look at the spiritual motto and coat of arms for each of the bishops who will become cardinals at the consistory:

 

Franciscan Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu, 61, Belgian in Iran: Deus meus in Te confido (“My God, I trust in You”)

Cardinal-elect Mathieu said that he was praying with Psalm 25:2, “My God, I trust in you” when he received the phone call that his name was being considered to serve as a Catholic bishop of Tehran, Iran. He decided to keep this as his episcopal motto as a reminder that “God stands by me and helps me in every circumstance.” The cardinal-elect, who describes himself as an astronomy enthusiast, chose a traditional eight-pointed “Persian star” to symbolize the star that led the Three Kings to the Christ Child. Inside the golden star is a white Eucharistic host with the “IHS” monogram for the name of Jesus. Traditional white flowers from Iran bloom from this symbol of Christ. The flowers also symbolize St. Joseph, and together with the Marian blue of the shield, they represent the Holy Family. The Conventual Franciscan has the symbol of the Franciscan order at the top of his crest.

 

Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo, 63, Ivory Coast: Omnibus Omnia (“All things to all”)

The archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, took his episcopal motto from St. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:22: “I have become all things to all, to save at least some.” The cardinal-elect explained that his motto “is an invitation to universality and unity. It calls for openness, listening and closeness to every person, whatever their social, cultural or spiritual background.” He added that the cross at the center of his coat of arms “recalls Christ’s sacrifice for the salvation of humanity and invites every believer to embrace his or her own cross in a spirit of faith and love,” while “the living water that flows from the cross embodies an inexhaustible source of blessings and spiritual renewal.” Notably, his coat of arms includes two sheep, a reference to the northern region of Ivory Coast, where livestock farming plays a major role in the local economy, as well as their traditional Christian symbolism. “The shepherd guides his flock towards living water, the source of life and salvation,” he said.

 

Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, 65, Philippines: Kenosis (“Self-Emptying”) 

Cardinal-elect David’s motto is a Greek term that means “self-emptying,” inspired by Philippians 2:7. The left side of his crest is the coat of arms of the Diocese of Kalookan, where he serves as bishop, which prominently features the Bonifacio Monument, an obelisk commemorating the Philippine revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio, who fought for independence from colonial rule by Spain. The center right includes a word meaning “east” from the Kapampangan language written in Baybayin, one of the precolonial writing systems used by early Filipinos, symbolizing Pampanga, his province of birth. Other symbols include the letter “M” as a symbol of the Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Good Counsel that nurtured his vocation to the priesthood from ages 11 to 15, the letters IHS to symbolize the Jesuit order that guided his educational formation from 1974 to 1984, and St. Joseph’s symbols of a lily and a saw for the San Jose Seminary that prepared him for priesthood. The letter “G” is the symbol of the titular Diocese of Guardialfiera, Italy, that Benedict XVI assigned to him when he served as an auxiliary bishop from 2006 to 2015; and the open book is the symbol of the great role of the word of God in his life and formation.

 

Franciscan Archbishop Jaime Spengler, 64, Brazil: In Cruce Gloriari (“Glory in the Cross”)

The Brazilian cardinal-elect’s motto is inspired by St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, 6:14, “But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Cardinal-elect Spengler’s coat of arms was designed by Brazilian artist Lorenz Johannes Heilmair. It features a black and white crucifix signifying “how the Crucified One divides and unites the universe.” The crucifix’s left side represents Christ, who glories in the cross, and the right side symbolizes how the cross transfigures human beings. The Itajaí-Açu River from the cardinal-to-be’s birthplace flows on one side of the crucifix, with the Guaíba River found in the Porto Alegre Archdiocese, where he currently serves, on the other. The Franciscan archbishop also chose to have the crucifix illuminated by the sun to depict Christ as the “Sun of Justice.” 

 

Archbishop Frank Leo, 53, Canada: Quodcumque dixerit facite (“Do whatever He tells you”)

Cardinal-elect Leo’s motto comprises the Virgin Mary’s words at the Wedding at Cana in the Gospel of John 2:5, “Do whatever he tells you” before Jesus performed his first miracle. The metropolitan archbishop of Toronto chose this motto to underscore Our Lady’s role as intercessor for the needs of Christians while pointing to the rich symbolism found in Christ’s transformation of water into wine. His coat of arms includes a pelican depicted opening its own flesh with its beak to feed its young with the blood that flows from it — a traditional Christological and Eucharistic symbol pointing to Christ shedding his own blood for all of humanity and how he continues to nourish us with his own flesh and blood in the Holy Mass. Other images include a seven-pointed star symbolizing the Virgin Mary as the “Morning Star,” a boat representing the barque of Peter, and a red lion recalling his last name, Leo, which is Latin for “lion.”

 

Archbishop Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, 74, Peru: A Ti Te Digo: Levántate (“I tell you, arise!”)

The new cardinal from Peru chose to have his motto in Spanish from Christ’s words in the Gospel of Luke 7:14, when Jesus raised a widow’s son from the dead: “He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you, arise!’” Cardinal-elect Castillo also wrote a book with the same title in 1995. The metropolitan archbishop of Lima has a unique coat of arms that includes the flag of Peru in the center, as well as Lima’s San Cristóbal Hill, a popular place of pilgrimage with a cross at the top, and the city’s Stone Bridge as a symbol of building bridges to the marginalized. The two people at the upper right-hand corner represent his motto, with an image of Christ uplifting a young man. The colors chosen in his crest also have specific meanings, according to his archdiocese; blue represents the Virgin Mary and green serves as a reminder “that we are in a clear moment of ecological crisis.”

 

Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, 61, Italy: Confide surge vocat Te (“Take courage; get up, he is calling you.”)

The words that the archbishop of Naples chose for his motto come from the Gospel of Luke 10:49, when a blind man sitting along the side of the road begging cries out for Jesus to restore his sight. When Jesus asks that he be brought before him, his disciples say to the man, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” The central image in his crest with two golden outstretched arms grasping one another represents both this encounter in the Gospel, as well as the Parable of the Good Samaritan, underlying the importance of an outstretched hand to support the poor and lift them up. The three stars represent the Holy Trinity, and the three golden drops represent the archbishop’s first name, Domenico, which means “consecrated to the Lord” and thus represent the three drops of chrism with which he was anointed at baptism, ordination to the priesthood and consecration as a bishop. The blue of his shield represents both that he entrusts his pastoral ministry to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary and the blue water of the sea on the coast in Calabria, Italy, where he grew up.

 

Redemptorist Bishop Mykola Bychok, 44, Ukrainian in Australia: Пресвятая Богородице, спаси нас (“Most Holy Mother of God, save us”)

Cardinal-elect Bychok, who will be the Church’s youngest cardinal, chose as his motto an invocation to Mary written in Ukrainian as a nod to his Redemptorist order’s special veneration of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic cardinal-to-be’s coat of arms includes a white flower with thorns, a symbol both of his hometown of Ternopil, Ukraine, and of the passion of Christ. The left side of the crest includes a golden trident with a cross that is traditionally used in Ukrainian Greek Catholic eparchies outside of Ukraine (such as where he currently serves in Melbourne), while the right side has a golden cross, lance and sponge from the emblem of the Redemptorists.

 

Archbishop George Jacob Koovakad, 51, India: Fragantiam Christi caritatis effundere (“To spread the fragrance of Christ’s love”)

Cardinal-elect Koovakad, a Vatican diplomat who works in the Secretariat of State arranging Pope Francis’ international trips, said that he chose his motto from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians 2:14 because “we are called to spread the fragrance of the love of the Good Shepherd, who knows each of his sheep by name.” The first Syro-Malabar priest to be elevated to cardinal directly from the priesthood also used a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit and peace, in his crest, along with a golden star and a white lotus. He was consecrated as a titular archbishop on Nov. 24 ahead of the consistory. Cardinal-to-be Koovakad said that just as Jesus carried both “the scent of divinity and humanity” we too “are to bear the sweet aroma of his presence, becoming his faithful witnesses in order that the world might believe.”

 

Vincentian Archbishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic, 72, Argentina: Me envió a evangelizar a los pobres (“He has sent me to preach good news to the poor”)

The Argentine cardinal-elect’s motto is a Spanish translation of the Latin motto of his religious order, the Congregation of the Mission, founded by St. Vincent de Paul. It comes from Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Luke 6:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” The two feet in his crest likewise symbolize “how beautiful … are the feet of the one bringing good news” (Isaiah 52:7), while the small pitcher refers to his family’s Slovenian origins, as “Bokal” from his last name means “jar” in Slovenian. 

 

Verbite Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi, 66, Japan: Varietate unitas (“Unity in Diversity”)

Reflecting on his motto, “Unity in Diversity,” the archbishop of Tokyo told EWTN, “I really respect the importance of diversity, so if I welcome the traditional community … I also accept the LGBTQ community as long as they don’t stand against the teaching of the Catholic Church.” The Japanese missionary’s coat of arms is a modern design with “a flower bud just ready to burst” in its center symbolizing his “wish that the messages from the Gospel flourish in Japan more than ever.” The blue and gold panels are filled with opened Bibles representing the cardinal-elect’s desire to spread the word of God, and the five circles symbolize the five continents of the world in a red wine color representing their connection with Christ the vine.

 

Archbishop Roberto Repole, 57, Italy: Christus tradidit seipsum pro me (“Christ gave himself for me”)

The archbishop of Turin’s spiritual motto comes from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” He chose to make his crest the color of blood to signify “the intense and absolute love of the Father, who sends the Son to shed his blood for us, for our redemption,” with a golden band symbolic of the virtue of faith. Three nails are the central feature of the crest — a reference to the Shroud of Turin, which shows wounds from three nails: one for each wrist and one for his feet. Likewise, the golden patriarchal cross above his coat of arms has five red gems to symbolize the Five Wounds of Christ.

 

Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas, 52, Lithuania: Deus fidelis manet (“God remains faithful”)

The coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major explained that his motto means that “God is faithful” and “that’s a great hope for us to know it is God who is in us and in him we find strength.” His coat of arms features a blazing sun containing the Chi Rho monogram flanked by alpha and omega in the Greek alphabet, an ancient symbol used by early Christians in Rome signifying that Christ is the beginning and the end. Cardinal-elect Makrickas, who has been in charge of managing the assets of Rome’s preeminent Marian basilica since 2021, also included a star symbolizing the Virgin Mary in his coat of arms.

 

Bishop Baldassare Reina, 53, Italy: Caritas patiens est (“Love is patient”)

The new vicar general of the Diocese of Rome chose the famous first line of St. Paul’s description of Christian love in the First Letter to the Corinthians, 13:4, to emphasize “the perfect love of God” and that Christians are “called by God himself to love one another with the same love.” A cross is the central image on his shield, signifying Christ’s triumph on the cross for our redemption. The three ears of wheat at the foot of the cross symbolize the Eucharist and the star above reflects the Virgin Mary. The Marian blue of his coat of arms also symbolizes holiness and the sea surrounding Sicily, where he grew up.

 

Verbite Archbishop László Német, 68, Serbia: Benedicte, Omnia Opera Domini, Domino (“Bless the Lord all you works of the Lord”)

The metropolitan archbishop of Belgrade, who will be Serbia’s first cardinal, chose the first line from the Benedicite canticle used in the Liturgy of the Hours as his motto, “Bless the Lord all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” The missionary from the Society of the Divine Word who has ministered in the Philippines, Poland, Croatia and Austria also included a shining sun and a tree in his coat of arms. 

 

Franciscan Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, 69, Ecuador: Verbum Domini Nuntiantes (“Proclaim the Word of the Lord”)

The cardinal-elect from Ecuador included a large tau cross in his coat of arms, a symbol of Franciscan spirituality and a clear reference to the Order of Friars Minor, which formed him from the Franciscan minor seminary of his youth to serving as general councilor of the Order of Friars Minor with responsibility for the Franciscan provinces of Latin America and the Caribbean. His crest also contains an open Bible, signifying the Verbum Domini or “Word of God,” and wheat symbolizing the Eucharist.

 

Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomalí Garib, 67, Chile: Mihi Vivere Christus (“For me life is Christ”)

The archbishop of Santiago de Chile’s spiritual motto comes from St. Paul’s words in his Letter to the Philippians, 1:21, “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.” His coat of arms includes a red Jerusalem Cross and a pelican depicted opening its own flesh with its beak to feed its young with the blood that flows from it — a traditional Christological and Eucharistic symbol pointing to Christ shedding his own blood for all of humanity and how he continues to nourish us with his own flesh and blood in the Holy Mass. 

 

Dominican Archbishop Jean-Paul Vesco, 62, Algeria: Je veux vivre et donner envie de vivre (“I want to live and inspire others to live fully.”)

The French Dominican bishop in Algeria chose a phrase in French as his episcopal motto when Benedict XVI appointed him as the bishop of Oran, Algeria, in 2012. Pope Francis appointed him as the archbishop of Algiers in 2021. Cardinal-elect Vesco became a naturalized Algerian in February 2023.

Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe, 79, United Kingdom, and Father Fabio Baggio, 59, Italy, were both selected to be cardinals before becoming a bishop and therefore their episcopal motto and coat of arms have not yet been made public. Italian Cardinal-elect Angelo Acerbi is 99 years old and therefore not included in this article featuring cardinal-electors. His motto, In Fide Et Lenitate means “in faith and sweetness.”