Pope Leo XIV says ‘giving witness to unity’ is close to his heart

2:14 PM ETDeveloping

Faith Desk

In Short: Pope Leo XIV has called for a renewed commitment to unity, urging bishops to bear witness to the unity of the human family.

In an age sadly marked by increasing polarization, the pope warned of a "paradox" in Western societies where a growing emphasis on individual freedom coexists with an increasingly widespread fear of being judged. "In revealing the heart of the Father, Christ shows us the deepest meaning of our existence, of our relationships, and the path to happiness," he explained.

The once-stable networks of family, friends, and community in the West are now giving way to "greater fragmentation," where freedom is increasingly presented as absolute autonomy, he said. "In this way, you will be witnesses to each other and to those you serve of that unity which builds lasting peace," the pope told the bishops.

Pope Leo XIV also visited the sanctuary where he prayed just after his election, returning on May 10, 2025, and revealing a permanent sign of his devotion to the place: a fresco depicting him praying. The former Robert Prevost had been there many times before, as the place has special significance for the pope’s Augustinian religious order.

What's confirmed

“In this way, you will be witnesses to each other and to those you serve of that unity which builds lasting peace,” he said.

What's still developing

During his address, the pope called for a renewed commitment to unity as a response to the divisions afflicting the contemporary world.
Addressing the participants as heirs to Lubich’s spiritual legacy and ministers of the Church in a fragmented world, the pope urged them to bear witness to the unity of the human family.
“The answer to the sad divisions that plague our world lies not in forming more committees or launching more projects but in going back to the source of our unity in the Holy Trinity,” he said.
“Indeed, we must become contemplatives!” the pope told the bishops, encouraging them to strengthen their interior lives.
Highlighting the contribution of the movement founded by Chiara Lubich, he said that “in an age sadly marked by increasing polarization, Our Lord enabled her to give witness to both the sense and service of unity, thus becoming a sign for her own and for future generations.” “If that was Chiara’s task 40 years ago, it is ours even more urgently today,” he said.
VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV explained why “giving witness to unity” is something close to his heart in a Sept.
Pope Leo called the Church “a mystery of communion” and “sign and leaven of unity for our world.” “Through the gift of the Spirit, we have become children of God, sharers in the divine life, and from this communion with God flows our communion with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ,” he said.
He joins a handful of past popes whose visits to the sanctuary were commemorated with portraits that adorn its walls, going back to Pope Urban VIII in 1630.

Sources

OSV Newslink