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Why the new pope's name matters

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tags: Catholic Church, Religion News Service, popes, papal names



Once the new pope is elected, he will have two big initial decisions to make: whether to accept the job, and what his new papal name will be.

Gregory? Leo? Benedict? No one knows what the next pope will pick. But choosing a new moniker is a decision that’s tied up in history, tradition and more than a little symbolic value.

In papal tradition, newly elected pontiffs choose a name to identify themselves during their reigns. The tradition has been around for centuries, even though no law or rule requires that a pope pick a new name.

Chester Gillis, a professor of theology at Georgetown University, said that the pope’s choice of name offers an early indicator of what his papacy might be like....

Read entire article at Religion News Service

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