Friday, June 28, 2024

Vatican releases logos, mottos for papal trip to Luxembourg, Belgium

The Holy See Press Office has released the official logos and mottos for Pope Francis’ end of September visit to Luxembourg and Belgium.

First stop Luxembourg: “To serve”

The Pope will land in Luxembourg on 26 September for a one-day visit to the small European country surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany.

The logo for this visit features a stylized image of Pope Francis with his hand raised in blessing, the Notre Dame Cathedral in the background.

The colours used, yellow and white, are those of the Vatican City State flag, while the blue alludes to the Marian veneration deeply rooted in Luxembourg's Catholic history.

At the bottom right is the motto of the Apostolic Journey: "Pour Servir," referring to Christ, who came "not to be served but to serve" (Mt 20:28). Thus, following the example of the Lord, the Church is called to serve humanity.

Belgium: Journeying in Hope

On the evening of 26 September, the Pope will bid farewell to Luxembourg and travel to Belgium for the second leg of his apostolic visit. Here he will visit three cities and take part in celebrations marking the 600th anniversary of the foundation of the Catholic universities of Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. He travels back to the Vatican on Sunday 29.

The logo for this leg of the visit features a stylized map of Belgium, crossed by a road on which several figures of different ages and from different cultures (symbolized by the different colours) are walking, with the Pope who is at the centre.

Below is the motto of the Apostolic Journey: "En route, avec Espérance" (Journeying in Hope), a call to walk together, on the path that is the country's history, but also the Gospel, the way of Jesus Christ, our Hope.