Since his election as the successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV has stressed the importance of unity. “Brothers and sisters,” he said at the Mass inaugurating his Petrine ministry, “I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.” Saint Josemaría reminded us that Christians ought to be “sowers of peace and joy”: men and women who bear living witness to Christ’s mercy wherever they are. Let us ask the Lord that, in a world so often marked by tension and division, we may, with God’s grace, become bridge-builders, strive to understand others, value pluralism, and cultivate the virtues of living together in harmony.

Bibliography

– Saint Josemaría, Letter 4.

– Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, Pastoral Letter, 16 February 2023, nos. 11–12.