Cardinal Tobin: In the One Christ, we are one

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

On Sunday, July 26, 2026, in his final Angelus Message given while vacationing at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo (see selection below), Pope Leo XIV said: “The Church is a communion of people who differ in origin, culture, abilities and responsibilities. Yet all are called to recognize themselves as ‘one’ in Jesus Christ.” This teaching is summarized in the papal motto, In Illo uno unum (In the One Christ, we are one), which is an excerpt from Saint Augustine’s Exposition on Psalm 127: “Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”

Unity in diversity is a profoundly Christian concept. Our understanding of who God is (a Trinity of three persons in one God) expresses the mystery of God’s inner life. Likewise, our understanding of what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ is reflected in Saint Paul’s image of “many parts but one body” (1 Cor 12:12–14, 27).

Whenever I celebrate Mass here in the Archdiocese of Newark, I am reminded that the people who make up the Church in northern New Jersey come from many nations, languages, cultures, histories, personalities, abilities, and social responsibilities. Being “one in Christ” does not require us to erase these differences. Rather, these diverse gifts become instruments through which Christ’s one mission is carried out.

Thus, the Church is not a crowd of people who look, think, and act alike. We are a living body whose members have different functions and gifts. Some teach, some serve, some lead, some care for the sick or poor, some evangelize, and others offer hidden forms of prayer and sacrifice. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are distributed according to God’s will and are intended to strengthen the Church and its mission.

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