Why did the first American to be elected pope, leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, choose Leo for his papal name?
Robert Prevost, who became Pope Leo XIV on May 8, chose a name used by 13 others before him.
What is the significance of the name “Leo” in papal history? And why did a Chicago native who spent much of his career in Peru take a name derived from Latin?
“Leo is a powerful choice,” said Margaret Thompson, an associate professor of history at Syracuse University. “Leo XIII is considered the father of Catholic social teaching. This signals a potential emphasis on justice, labor, and the church’s role in the modern world.”
The most recent Pope Leo
Leo XIII was elected in 1878 and was known as a reformer, a pontiff who emphasized diplomacy, advocated for scientific progress and positioned the church as a defender of human rights.
He wrote in an 1891 encyclical about Catholic social justice and the need to protect working people and affirm workers’ rights.
Bruce Morrill, a distinguished professor of theology and Roman Catholic studies at Vanderbilt University, called Prevost’s name choice “highly significant” and likely a signal of his support for social justice. He, too, recalled Leo XIII’s encyclical, which was echoed by John Paul II, another advocate for workers and social justice.
Papal names illustrated: What Pope Leo XIV’s name could tell us about himself and what’s ahead for the church
Five popes named Leo are also saints
Of the 15 prior popes named Leo, five were eventually canonized as saints: Leo I, Leo II, Leo III, Leo IV and Leo IX.
Leo I, or Leo The Great, became pope in 440, as the decline of the Roman Empire was snowballing. He was known for confronting Attila the Hun, persuading the horde not to attack Rome. Leo was a staunch proponent of church orthodoxy, helping guide the early church on tenets including the dual nature of Christ and the idea of papal infallibility.
From the Windy City to the Vatican: How a Chicago native became pope: See Robert Francis Prevost’s path to making history
Leo IX was known as a reformer and a man who helped bring the Catholic Church into the center of European religious life; but he also presided over the schism with the Eastern Orthodox Church — one that exists to this day.
What they’re called: From Peter to Linus to Francis: How do popes pick their papal names?
His successor, Leo X, was a true Renaissance pope, a leader in not only the religious realm but also a man who asserted the church’s growing political power in Rome through grand buildings. He condemned the reformer Martin Luther for heresy when Luther voiced objections to the church’s wealth, political power and other excesses.
This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
Contributing: Dinah Pulver and Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What’s in a (pope’s) name? Why the new pontiff chose Leo XIV
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