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Bishop Paolo Martinelli's coat of arms is mainly inspired by the Eucharist - Sacramentum Caritatis - evoked by the figure of the pelican that wounds itself to feed its chicks. It becomes a symbol of Christ's infinite love for men, to whom he gives his own blood in the Eucharist. In this way, it represents how in the Eucharistic mystery, it is Christ himself who continually nourishes and builds the Church.
The white lily that accompanies the pelican is a well-known virginal symbol of Mary and is meant to symbolically evoke the Madonnina of Milan in homage to the Milanese origins of Monsignor Martinelli, origins also recalled by the main colours of the emblem, red and white, the same as the City.
As usual for Bishops belonging to religious Orders, at the top of the shield is the emblem of the Order itself, which here is the Franciscan, symbolised by the arms of Christ and Saint Francis crossing one another, both bearing the stigmata.
As usual, at the top of the coat of arms, is a green galero, a broad-brimmed hat once worn by clergy that now designates their rank, and on either side are six green tassels called “houppes” which also signify the rank of a bishop in the Church.
At the bottom, the coat of arms also includes Bishop Paolo Martinelli’s personal episcopal motto "Gloria Dei vivens homo" (The glory of God is Man fully alive), taken from the writings of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon.