Pope Leo XIV begins pontificate with thunderous call for Christian unity

Pope Leo XIV shared his vision to chart a path toward Christian unity during his Monday address to leaders of the church and those of other religions.

The pope called it one of his priorities to pursue “full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

While legacy media leaned into the presumption that the pope would urge solidarity among divisions in the Catholic Church, he used his Monday address to reaffirm his vision for uniting all Christians and fostering peace across faiths.

“Indeed, unity has always been a constant concern of mine, as witnessed by the motto I chose for my episcopal ministry: In Illo uno unum, an expression of Saint Augustine of Hippo that reminds us how we too, although we are many, ‘in the One — that is Christ — we are one,’” the pope said.

His recent message to church representatives amplified his Sunday homily at Saint Peter’s Square, during which he invoked Jesus’ mission to Peter.

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“We see this in today’s Gospel, which takes us to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus began the mission he received from the Father: to be a ‘fisher’ of humanity in order to draw it up from the waters of evil and death,” the pope stated. “Walking along the shore, he had called Peter and the other first disciples to be, like him, ‘fishers of men.’”

“Now, after the resurrection, it is up to them to carry on this mission, to cast their nets again and again, to bring the hope of the Gospel into the ‘waters’ of the world, to sail the seas of life so that all may experience God’s embrace,” he continued.

During a Monday interview on “The Glenn Beck Program,” Vice President JD Vance highlighted Pope Leo’s recent election as a potential cultural and political turning point.

Vance told Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck, “[The pope] is the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics.”

The vice president stressed Pope Leo’s “soft influence.”

“He doesn’t have a military; he doesn’t have an army. But he does have a lot of influence through those Catholics,” he continued. “We won a majority of Catholics in the last election.”

However, Vance noted that many Catholics have continued to vote for Democratic candidates.

Vance credited the Vatican for using its influence to promote peace, including attempting to facilitate conversations between Ukraine and Russia.

“The Vatican has already played a very constructive role in some of the peace conversations that we’ve been having all over the world,” he added.

Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both practicing Catholics, met with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Monday.

“I was humbled and honored to meet Pope Leo XIV and lead the presidential delegation to Rome for his inaugural mass. We had a great conversation, and I know he is a true servant of God,” Vance stated. “I hope all Americans will join me in praying for the new pope as he begins his ministry.”

The Vatican issued a statement regarding the meeting.

“There was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” the Vatican said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Vance passed along a letter from President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who is also Catholic, inviting Pope Leo to the White House.

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