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The unity of Christians among themselves is a participation in the unity of love among the Persons of the Blessed Trinity. On earth, this "extension of the Love of Heaven"^[1] is realized through affective and effective union with the Roman Pontiff. In Opus Dei, as part of the Church, it is also expressed through filiation with the Prelate.

This ebook contains two articles about expressions of this unity. The first has to do with St. Josemaría and the saints’ testimony of love for the Pope. "And to love the Holy Father is to love Christ and his Mother, our Blessed Mother, Mary. And that is all we aspire to: because we love them, we want omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam – all to go with Peter to Jesus through Mary"^[2] the founder of Opus Dei said, leaving all Christian a rich heritage of fidelity to the Holy Father and the Church. Reference is also made to other saints, including St. Catherine of Siena, who called the Roman Pontiff the "Sweet Christ on earth," and St. Irenaeus, who said that unity in the Church comes about through the Pope: "in her [the Church], the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition."^[3]

The second article is about union with the Prelate of the Work, exploring paternity and filiation of this supernatural family within the Church. As Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz points out, "the charismatic dimension of the Work invites us to reinforce the family atmosphere of affection and trust: the Prelate must be a guide but, above all, a father."^[4]

Santiago Salcedo Porras

^[1] St. Josemaría, Alone with God, n. 143 (AGP, library, P10).

^[2] St. Josemaría, Intimate Notes, 17-XI-1930, n. 110.

^[3] St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 3, 2.

^[4] Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, Message, 22-VII-2022.