What's in a 'papal name' and what the new pope's choice could mean for the church
The significance of a papal name lies in its symbolic power and the message it sends about a new pope's intentions, priorities, and the direction he hopes to set for the Catholic Church.
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When a new pope is elected, one of his first acts is to choose a new name. It's a tradition dating back to the early Middle Ages. This name is not required by doctrine but has become a deeply rooted custom.
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The chosen name often honours a saint, a previous pope, or a particular legacy the new pontiff wishes to emulate.
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Pope Francis selected his name to honour St. Francis of Assisi, signalling a focus on humility, care for the poor, and environmental stewardship. Similarly, Pope John Paul I combined the names of his two immediate predecessors to signal continuity and commitment to their reforms.
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It is closely watched as an early indicator of whether the new leader will continue the work of his predecessors or chart a new course for the Church.
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Popes rarely choose a name that has never been used before. In fact, before Pope Francis in 2013, it had been over 1,000 years since a pope — Pope Lando in 914 — selected a completely new name.
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Most popes opt for names with historical or spiritual significance. There are, however, several unique papal names from the early centuries that have never been repeated, such as Lando, Romanus, and Formosus.
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How might a pope's cultural background affect his choice?
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Different cultures have influenced the choice of papal names in several ways, especially as the Church became more global. In the early centuries, popes from outside Italy — especially from France and Germany — often adopted more traditional or Italian-sounding names to align themselves with their Roman predecessors and the local culture of the papacy. This practice helped foster unity and continuity within the Church.
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A pope from Africa or Latin America might select a name associated with early non-Italian pontiffs or saints from those regions to highlight the Church's diversity and global reach.
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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Raising school fees torments many Africans. Some expect the Catholic Church to do more to help
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A crying parent with an unpaid tuition balance walked into the staff room of a Catholic private school and begged the teachers to help enroll her son. The school's policy required the woman pay at least 60% of her son's full tuition bill before he could join the student body. She didn't have the money and was led away. 'She was pleading, 'Please help me,'' said Beatrice Akite, a teacher at St. Kizito Secondary School in Uganda's capital city, who witnessed the outburst. 'It was very embarrassing. We had never seen something like that.' Two weeks into second term, Akite recounted the woman's desperate moment to highlight how distressed parents are being crushed by unpredictable fees they can't pay, forcing their children to drop out of school. It's leaving many in sub-Saharan Africa — which has the world's highest dropout rates — to criticize the mission-driven Catholic Church for not doing enough to ease the financial pressure families face. Legacy of Catholic education across Africa The Catholic Church is the region's largest nongovernmental investor in education. Catholic schools have long been a pillar of affordable but high-quality education, especially for poor families. Their appeal remains strong even with competition from other nongovernmental investors now eying schools as enterprises for profit. The growing trend toward privatization is sparking concern that the Catholic Church may price out the people who need uplifting. Akite hopes Catholic leaders support measures that would streamline fees across schools of comparable quality. Firm fee ceilings need to be set, she said. Kampala's St. Kizito Secondary School, where Akite teaches literature, was founded by priests of the Comboni missionary order, known for its dedication to serving poor communities. Its students come mostly from working-class families and tuition per term is roughly $300, a substantial sum in a country where GDP per capita was about $1,000 in 2023. Yet that tuition is lower than at many other Catholic-run schools in Kampala, where many students report later in the term because they can't raise school fees in time, Akite said. Late starts, long lines, extension requests One of the most expensive private schools in Kampala, the Catholic-run Uganda Martyrs' Secondary School Namugongo, maintains a policy of 'zero balance' when a child reports to school at the beginning of a three-month term. This means students must be fully paid by the time they report to school. Tuition at the school was once as high as $800 but has since dropped to about $600 as enrollment swelled to nearly 5,000, said deputy headmaster James Batte. On a recent morning, there was a queue of parents waiting outside Batte's office to request more time to clear tuition balances. Daniel Birungi, an electrical engineer in Kampala whose son enrolled this year at St. Mary's College Kisubi, a leading school for boys in Uganda, said the emerging risk for traditional Catholic schools is to cater only to the rich. There is hot water in the bathrooms, he said, describing what he felt was a trend toward levels of luxury he never imagined as a student there in the 1990s. Now, students are prohibited from packing snacks and instead encouraged to buy what they need from school-owned canteens, he said. That has 'put us under a lot of pressure,' he said. Tuition at St. Mary's College Kisubi is roughly $800 per term, and Birungi doubts he will be able to regularly pay school fees on time. 'You can go there and see the brother and negotiate,' he said, referring to the headmaster. 'I am planning to go there and see him and ask for that consideration.' The effects of a private education system The World Bank reported in 2023 that 54% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa rank the issue of paying school fees higher than medical bills and other expenses. That's partly because education is largely in private hands, with the most desirable schools controlled by profit-seeking owners. Schools run by the Catholic Church are not usually registered as profit-making entities, but those who run those schools say they wouldn't be competitive if they were run merely as charities. They say they face the same maintenance costs as others in the field and offer scholarships to exceptional students. Regulating tuition is not easy, said Ronald Reagan Okello, a priest who oversees education at the Catholic Secretariat in Kampala. He urges parents to send their children to schools they can afford. 'As the Catholic Church, also we are competing with those who are in the private sector,' said Okello, the national executive secretary for education with the Ugandan bishops conference. 'Now, as you are competing, the other ones are setting the bar high. They are giving you good services. But now putting the standard to that level, we are forced to raise the school fees to match the demands of the people who can afford.' Across the region, the Catholic Church has built a reputation as a key provider of formal education in areas often underserved by the state. Its schools are cherished by families of all means for their values, discipline and academic success. In Zimbabwe, the Catholic Church operates about 100 schools, ranging from dozens in impoverished areas where annual tuition is as low as $150 to elite boarding schools that can charge thousands of dollars. But a legacy of inclusion is under pressure in the southern African nation due to fee increases at boarding schools and efforts by Catholic leaders to fully privatize some schools. Many boarding schools already charge tuition fees between $600 and $800, prohibitive for the working class in a country where most civil servants make less than a $300 per month. Privatization will raise tuition fees even higher, warned Peter Muzawazi, a prominent educator in Zimbabwe. Muzawazi, who attended Catholic schools, once was the headmaster of Marist Brothers, a top Catholic school for boys in Zimbabwe. That school in Nyanga is among those earmarked for privatization. 'I know in the Catholic Church there is a lot of space for reasonable fees for day scholars, but for boarders there is need to be watching because the possibility that they would be out of reach for the vulnerable is there,' he said. The church needs to be actively engaged, he said. 'How do we continue to guarantee education for the poor?' Efforts to privatize church-founded schools have sparked debate in Zimbabwe, which for years has been in economic decline stemming in part from sanctions imposed by the U.S. and others. Authorities say privatizing these schools is necessary to maintain standards, even as critics warn Catholic leaders not to turn their backs on poor people. 'Schools have now turned into businesses,' Martin Chaburumunda, president of the Zimbabwe Rural Teachers' Union, told The Manica Post, a state-run weekly. 'Churches now appear only hungry for money as opposed to educating the communities they operate in.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Rather than privatizing old mission schools, the church should invest in building new ones if it's useful to experiment with different funding models, said Muzawazi, a lay Catholic who serves on the governing council of the Catholic University of Zimbabwe. 'The bright people who advance the cause of countries are not the rich ones,' he said. 'We want every church and every nation to tap the potential of every person, regardless of economic status.' ___ Mutsaka reported from Harare, Zimbabwe. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
National Post
5 days ago
- National Post
Wild-card Lois Boisson stuns No. 6 Mirra Andreeva to reach French Open semis
The run continues for the 361st-ranked Lois Boisson at Roland-Garros. Article content After taking down third-seeded Jessica Pegula in the previous round, the French wild-card entry upset sixth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (6), 6-3 Wednesday in front of a boisterous and largely partisan crowd to reach the semifinals of the French Open. Article content Article content A year ago, Boisson tore the ACL in her left knee just a week before her home Grand Slam tournament started, preventing her from accepting an invitation to play. On Thursday, she will have the chance to advance to the final. Article content 'It's incredible, no matter what, given what happened last year and all the difficult moments I went through,' Boisson said during her post-match interview. Article content The 22-year-old Boisson was largely unknown outside tennis circles before capturing the spotlight in Paris. She is playing in her first Grand Slam main draw and became the first woman to reach the semifinals at her debut major tournament since 1989, when Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati both did it at the French Open. Article content She is also the youngest French semifinalist at a Grand Slam event since Amelie Mauresmo at Wimbledon in 1999. The last Frenchwoman to win the title at Roland-Garros was Mary Pierce, 25 years ago. Article content Under the closed roof of court Philippe-Chatrier, Andreeva repeatedly showed her frustration with the crowd, as excited fans chanted 'Lois, Lois' between points, waved Tricolor flags, shouted during play, and even applauded the Russian teenager's errors. Article content The first set was marked by momentum swings and brilliant shot-making from both players. Boisson twice found herself down a break but fought back each time, using heavy spin and deep groundstrokes to trouble her Russian opponent. Article content Article content Andreeva grew visibly tense on key points, struggling to maintain her composure and wasting a chance to close out the set when up 5-3. Despite saving three set points and forcing a tiebreaker, she ultimately handed the set to Boisson with two consecutive backhand errors. Article content Andreeva responded strongly at the start of the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead. But Boisson broke back with a thunderous backhand winner down the line, drawing a roar of approval from the lively crowd. Article content Andreeva received a warning after netting a routine forehand volley and angrily hitting a ball into the stands. She then argued with the umpire over a call that gave Boisson three break points. Andreeva saved the first one with a forehand winner then double-faulted, and never recovered. Article content 'The first set was super intense, and I was really struggling at the start of the second, but I managed to regroup and finish like that,' said Boisson, who will make a big jump in the rankings. Article content Having reached a career high of No. 152 last year before her knee injury, Boisson will climb at least to No. 68 on Monday. And that could be even higher if she manages to pull off a third straight shocker against the No. 2-seeded Coco Gauff in the semifinals.
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
Coco Gauff beats Madison Keys in 3 sets to reach French Open semifinals
Coco Gauff overcame 10 double-faults and the first set she's dropped in the tournament to beat Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 at the French Open on Wednesday in Paris, reaching the semifinals for the third time. It was a contest filled with plenty of mistakes by both Americans, who each has claimed one major championship. They combined for 101 unforced errors and just 40 winners across more than two hours under a closed roof at Court Philippe-Chatrier on a drizzly, chilly day. The No. 2-seeded Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open and was the runner-up at the 2022 French Open. She'll play Thursday for a berth in another Grand Slam final, facing either No. 6 Mirra Andreeva or 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Lois Boisson. "I have a lot more work left to do," said Gauff, who raised her arms overhead then spread them wide apart after the last point against Keys, "but I'm going to savor this one today." She started particularly poorly against Keys, trailing 4-1 and being a point from a 5-1 deficit. Gauff bowed her head or sighed after some miscues. Then, suddenly, she got going, using her speed and instincts to stretch points until Keys — the Australian Open champion in January — missed. That helped Gauff get within a point of taking that set. But the 21-year-old based in Florida double-faulted three times in the tiebreaker, and soon was headed to the locker room to regroup. That set was sloppy. Gauff had seven winners to 21 unforced errors. Keys has 12 winners to 28 unforced errors, 19 of which arrived from her powerful forehand. "I knew that I just had to be able to run today and as soon as the ball came short," Gauff said, "just punish her for it." Repeatedly, Gauff scrambled this way or that to get her racket on a shot from Keys that against plenty of other players would end the point. And often enough, it worked well, leading to a miss by Keys, who occasionally admonished herself with a slap on her right leg.
