"Fides nostra victoria“ - "Our Faith is our Victory“
The two fields on the left hand side of the episcopal coat of arms (right hand side for the observer):
The lower field shows the Silesian Eagle. The parents and five siblings of the bishop lived near Troppau, now called Opava, in Moravian Silesia until the expulsion in 1946. The Silesian Eagle is a symbol of the geographical roots of the Hanke family but also of the responsibility for reconciliation. Relatives of the bishop stayed near Troppau after 1946 where they live as Czech citizens.
The bishop's parents and siblings found refuge in Elbersroth (county Ansbach). The church St. Jakobus der Ältere (English: Saint James the Greater) in Elbersroth is where Gregor Hanke, called Franz at the time, received the sacrament of baptism in 1954. The scallop shell in the upper field as the symbol of Saint James stands for the new home of the Hanke family.
The two fields on the right hand side of the coat of arms (left hand side for the observer):
The bishop's staff in the lower field is not only the symbol of the Eichstätt diocese but is also a sign of the bishop's commitment to the role of pastor.
The wreath in the upper field reminds us that we humans are on our way to God. Paul shows the way to God as a course, which the Christian in the posture of a runner in the stadium must take (1 Cor 9:24). While an athlet seeks to win the winner's trophy, Christians must strive to obtain the eternal winner's wreath according to Paul. This Pauline interpretation is taken up by Saint Benedict in the prologue of his rule. A monk shall walk the path of God under guidance of the Gospel; he even needs to suffer an initial shock to then start running, rushing ahead through good deeds. Eventually he "shall run on the path of God’s commandments", his heart "overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love" and shall inherit the Kingdom with Jesus Christ. All these thoughts are concentrated in the bishop's motto, which has been taken from the first Letter of John: "Fides nostra victoria" - "Our Faith is Our Victory" (1 John 5:4).
Behind the coat of arms is the golden processional cross - heraldic symbol of bishops, as is the green bishop's hat with its 12 tassels above the coat of arms. Originally coats of arms informed about descent, station or profession and then also about the name. Religious bearers add theological notes. Gregor Maria Hanke already used the motto and the three symbols of descent in his coat of arms as the abbot of Plankstetten.
