09-05-2025
Why Did Pope Leo XIV Choose That Name? Historically Speaking, It Makes Total Sense
In 533, a Roman named Mercurius took the first symbolic papal name out of transparent necessity. Named after Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, the newly-elected pope didn't think it wise to keep his pagan-inspired name. So, he became John II instead.
Fifteen centuries later, name selection remains one of the most intriguing facets of a papal election. Cardinal Robert Prevost continued that tradition on Thursday, officially becoming Pope Leo XIV after his ascension to the role via the fourth vote of a conclave.
Leo is now the fourth-most common papal name in history along with Clement. The only more popular names are John, Benedict, and Gregory.
While the 69-year-old hasn't confirmed his reasoning, there are some hints from his predecessors that explain why choosing Leo makes sense.
The historic line of Leos started with Leo the Great, who served as pope from 440 to 461. He not only helped define a key tenet of church doctrine but might have saved countless lives. Historical accounts suggest Leo was the key figure of a peace negotiation with Attila the Hun in 452. According to a writer named Prosper the Aquitane, Leo directly confronted the notorious warrior and convinced him to keep withdraw his army from its invasion of Italy.
'And the outcome was what his faith had foreseen; for when the king had received the embassy, he was so impressed by the presence of the high priest that he ordered his army to give up warfare and, after he had promised peace, he departed beyond the Danube,' Prosper wrote, according to Fordham University.
The name Leo might suggest the new pope could 'stand up to oppressive political forces in the world,' according to CBS News correspondent Candida Moss.
Leo the Great also built a reputation as an intellectual and theologian. He wrote the Tome of Leo, a letter outlining the tenet that Jesus Christ was both a fully human and fully divine figure. 'Our new pope has a doctorate in canon law, so we might expect that he too is going to clarify the church's teachings on central issues,' Moss said.
However, the likelier inspiration for the new pontiff lies in much more recent history.
Prevost is 'hands down' signaling a connection to Pope Leo XIII with his name choice, Dr. Michael Pasquier, a professor of Christian studies at Louisiana State University, told
Leo XIII held the papacy from 1878 to 1903 and is known for the 1891 encyclical 'Rerum novarum,' or 'Of revolutionary change.' The letter critiques socialism and unrestricted capitalism, prioritizes the rights of workers and the needs of the poor, and reaffirms the Catholic Church's purpose of working toward justice and dignity for everyone.
The tenets in Leo XIII's letter formed a basis for the modern understanding of Catholic social teaching. 'That encyclical was the pope's way of saying the church is in the world, and it bears a responsibility to manifest the gospel message that Jesus provided,' Pasquier explains. 'And Jesus was a person that went out of his way to care for the marginalized.'
In his previous roles, Leo XIV has shown a similar affinity for confronting social issues—including championing the poor and migrants. He has publicly criticized U.S. immigration policies under President Donald Trump through social media.
This also reinforces some of the ideals of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who took his name after Saint Francis of Assisi, the Italian friar known for his vision of 'a Church which is poor and for the poor.'
Pasquier says that Leo XIV's opening address to worshippers offered another valuable clue. The pontiff concluded his remarks Thursday from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica with a prayer to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus according to church doctrine. Devotion to Mary was another characteristic of Leo XIII's leadership.
Two other themes from the address were an emphasis on forging peace amid global conflicts and the image of Catholicism as a 'missionary church,' or taking an aggressive approach to outreach, Pasquier said.
The Chicago-born pontiff has a personal history of missionary work. Much of his early ministry took place in Peru. He joined the country's Augustinian mission in 1985 and, while in the country, oversaw the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo and taught canon law before returning to Chicago in 1999.
No matter what his first actions as pope might be, Leo XIV's unlikely election—he is the first pope born in the United States and only the second from the Americas—has generated even greater interest in an already world-altering event. So while we don't know the direct inspiration for the Leo XIV quite yet, it's likely we'll find out very soon.
'We're going to know this pope like we've never known a pope,' Pasquier said.
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