The Significance of a Papal Name

Cardinals have been sequestered in the Vatican ahead of the conclave Wednesday, where they will vote on who will be next to lead the Catholic Church.

They won’t emerge until white smoke has billowed into the air and the senior cardinal has announced “Habemus papam” — “We have a pope.”

And he will tell those gathered at St. Peter’s Square the pontiff’s baptismal name in Latin, followed by his papal name.

When it comes to the pope, a name can say a lot.

But what goes into choosing a papal name?

How is a Name Chosen and What Can it Signify?

Cardinals who enter the conclave may have a name in mind that they’ll use if they’re named the new pontiff, according to Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of the department of religious studies and philosophy at Manhattan University in New York.

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“Once you know that you’re going into that room and that somebody who walks in with you or yourself is walking out the pope, yeah, you’re going to think about it,” she told Global News in an interview.

That name though can vary depending on how the cardinal wants the church to proceed, with continuity or discontinuity of their predecessor’s papacy being one of the questions that’s top of mind.

It wasn’t until the mid-20th century, however, that choosing a name signalled the aim of the papacy. Before then, names would sometimes be chosen based on the pope’s baptismal name or wanting to pay respect to a previous pope.

Pope John Paul I, who was pope for slightly more than a month in 1978, chose the name to honour the two previous popes who were involved with the council that reformed the Catholic Church — John XXIII and Paul VI.

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Iconic chimney installed on roof of Sistine Chapel as conclave prepares to elect a new Pope

The name signalled a commitment to the reforms established by that council, including ending the practice of giving mass in Latin to instead favour local languages.

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His papacy lasted just 33 days, from Aug. 26 until Sept. 28 of 1978, but his successor, John Paul II, chose to continue on his legacy, signified by choosing the same name.

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Choosing a name may also give insight into the priorities of the new pontiff, such as the most recent pope, Francis, selecting the name of St. Francis of Assisi, who was known for his humility, life of poverty and love of all creatures.

Pope Francis signalled a papacy focused on those seen as outsiders, such as the poor, prisoners and the LGBTQ2 community, as well as promoting peace and care of the environment.

“There’s kind of two avenues or two sort of conversations that the pope-elect, I guess, is having with the past,” Imperatori-Lee said. “The immediate predecessors and the legacies of different popes and the sort of history of the saints, the hagiography conversation, is there a saint that you particularly want this papacy to look like or to embody?”

Why Choose a New Name Instead of Their Own?

Despite convention, popes don’t have to choose another name; many did use their given name in the first millennium.

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Around the 11th century, that changed.

“It had become kind of a custom, a tradition to change the name,” said Mark Yenson, interim vice-president and academic dean at King’s University College in London, Ont., and religious studies associate professor. “It’s a tradition, there’s no hard and fast rule about it, but it is one of those ways in which the pope can really kind of signal what their priorities are and where they might want to take the leadership of the church.”

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Cardinals from around the world meet at The Vatican as process to select next pope begins

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Many have chosen names related to previous popes. John has been chosen by 23 pontiffs, followed by Benedict and Gregory, both at 16.

A pontiff’s name can also be something totally different than seen before, like when Francis chose a name that hadn’t been used by any pope in the past.

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Names You Likely Won’t See

As people await the name, there are some you likely won’t see.

The first is Peter, which Yenson said many would avoid as it was the first pope’s name.

The name Innocent is one that, while used 13 times before and featured in the movie Conclave, likely won’t be used again. Imperatori-Lee said that amid the abuse scandals the church has faced in recent years, cardinals will be able to “read the room” and know that that name isn’t suited for this time.

She added that due to how long John Paul II served, it may also be a time before the name is used again as his influence remains “very large” in the church and people “may want to move away from that.”

The name of the next pope won’t be known until white smoke pours forth from the Sistine Chapel and is announced from St. Peter’s Basilica, but when it is announced, people can use it to get an idea of what is to come from the church.

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“If the new pope took the name Francis, then we would know that this was really a continuity candidate,” Yenson said. “If they take the name of a sort of more