Why did Cardinal Robert Prevost choose the name Pope Leo XIV? Know its significance
Image credits: Getty Images
The
267th Pope of the Catholic Church
has been elected.
Cardinal Robert Prevost
is the new leader of almost 1.4 billion Catholic Christians spread across the globe. The 69-year-old pope has taken the name
Pope Leo XIV
, as announced by a senior cardinal to the crowds at St.
Peter's Square.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary, has a history of serving the church by ministering in Peru and leading the Vatican's office of bishops. The new pope has also made history as the
first American pope
in the 2,000-year history of the
Catholic Church
.
The Pope's baptismal name was revealed after the traditional announcement of 'Habemus Papam'- 'We have a Pope' from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The first words spoken by the new Pope to the excited and awaiting people were 'Peace be with all you.'
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Why did Cardinal Robert Prevost choose the name Pope
Leo XIV
?
Image credits: Getty Images
In a conversation with The Independent, Catholic priest and blogger Ed Tomlinson shared that the choice of Cardinal Prevost's papal name had a long history. 'The papal name Leo unsurprisingly, shows a Pope who is going to be strong during a time of crisis, historically,' he said.
The last pope who chose the same name was more than 100 years ago. Pope Leo XIII led the Church from 1878 to 1903. The first pope who chose the name,
Pope Leo the Great
, led the church from 440-461.
When one thinks of the name Leo in Christianity, they are referring to Pope Leo the Great. He is known to have been brave even in front of Attila, a godless pagan who in the summer of A.D. 452, sacked, looted, murdered and pillaged through Italy, getting closer to Rome. At the time, Leo was the bishop of Rome and armed with a Gospel, he marched into the camp of the Huns and negotiated peace with their leader, Atilla. Additionally, he taught and led the Council of Chalcedon to affirm that Jesus was one fully divine and one fully human nature and that he was inseparably united in one Christ.
Why does the papal name matter?
The chosen name offers a glimpse into the vision the new pope has for the church. Had Cardinal Prevost taken the name Pope Francis II, it would have signified him following in the footsteps of the late pope, who focused on pastoral care and the marginalised. Pope Francis himself had suggested that his successor could be John XXIV, referencing the pope of the Second Vatican Council era. Pius is another frequently chosen papal name, and it indicates a traditionalist ideology.
Thus, the papal name matters, and it shows the way the church is soon to be led.
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