Pope Leo XIV and the restoration of wounded unity
“In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas.”
The famous expression attributed—although probably of later origin—to Saint Augustine resonates strongly in this new chapter in the history of the Church. After years of accumulated tensions, bitter debates, and growing fractures, Providence has raised up a pontiff who could restore unity without renouncing the truth.
An unexpected choice… or a providential one?
Many faithful—and not a few readers of this newspaper—would perhaps have wished for a more prominent doctrinal profile, someone who would have taken a clear position in the face of the ambiguities of the previous Pontificate. But as an influential commentator recently pointed out, perhaps the moment called for something else: someone who, without ever losing sight of the deposit of faith, was capable of generating consensus on the essentials, serenity in pastoral matters, and governability in the concrete.
It was no secret in the general congregations: the most repeated word was "unity." The Church was emerging from a period marked by open wounds, unresolved tensions, irreconcilable factions, and a tense atmosphere that, beyond intentions, was often fostered from the very Chair of Peter. The temptation was to fall into a new polarization. But Leo XIV, an Augustinian in soul and formation, seems to have understood that it is not about erasing the past, but about reconciling it.
An Augustinian for Augustinian Times
The spirituality of Saint Augustine—centered on the search for truth in charity, the supremacy of grace, and intellectual humility—appears as a providential antidote to the ills of our ecclesial times. The new Pope has already shown signs of this: he does not present himself as the champion of a faction, nor has he allowed himself to be used as a banner to settle scores. He has the firmness of one who knows who he is and what he has been elected to do, but also the prudence not to lend himself to the tribal dynamics that have so damaged the Church.
In this sense, we too, from our position, have not fallen—nor do we want to fall—into the game of appropriating the new Pope by gloating over every gesture that implies an implicit amendment to the previous pontificate: be it the respectful blessing of journalists, the sober use of papal attire, or the recovery of symbols that speak of continuity. We know that unity is not imposed from outside nor achieved through resentment.
Others, however, seem to live with anxiety. One need only look at the editorials in Religión Digital or Vida Nueva to perceive a growing nervousness, as if they needed to constantly remind the Pope who elected him, or warn him not to stray from the script they imagined. They don't understand—or don't want to understand—that this pontificate belongs to no one, except the Church and Christ.
An Opportunity for Peace
Leo XIV inherits a tired Church, marked by years of fruitless confrontation. His mission will not be easy, but it is clear: to restore the fundamental unity of the Church, to reconcile her children around the faith they have received, to restore serenity to consciences and firmness to doctrine. Not through imposition, but through conviction. Not through strategy, but through truth.
.jpeg)
Comments