How do popes decide their names

Will the next pope bring transparency to the Vatican's finances? No pope on 1st vote: Black smoke emerges from Sistine Chapel chimney. If you have trouble reading the characters in the picture, click it to see a new one. Guidelines Preference is given to commenters who use real names. Stay on topic and be concise. Stimulate debate. Offer new information. What not to do: We will not publish comments that are profane, libelous, racist, or engage in personal attacks.

We screen for comments that seek to spread information that is false or misleading. We will not publish: Comments written that are poorly spelled; or are written in caps; or which use strange formatting to get noticed.

If you're using an alias, make sure it's unique. We will not publish comments that link to outside websites. More Stories from World. Myanmar court sentences U.

Taliban: Bomb hits mosque in Afghanistan, wounds at least Trump defends chants by rioters on Jan. Queen to make first public appearance since hospital stay. Top Videos false. Why this B. Homeowner issues warning after buying home full of mould. Canadian stranded in Iraq to be issued emergency passport. More than half of Canadians under 40 see Baby Boomer legacy as negative: poll. Canadians facing a Christmas tree shortage this holiday season. Don't Miss false. Also, practices can change over time within the same community.

At one point receiving a new name may have been the practice, but later retaining the baptismal name becomes the norm, or vice versa. In those communities in which receiving a new name is the practice, the means by which this happens can vary. Sometimes the new member of the community has some say in what his or her new name will be for example, by submitting three potential names to the head of their community , and in other communities, it is left up to the leader of the community. What about popes?

As mentioned, while there are commonalities as we will see, there are also differences. Another difference is that this is a practice which is completely up to the pope himself, meaning that our next pope could decide that he will be known by his baptismal name instead of a new papal name. Here, some history of this practice is helpful. The custom was firmly established by the middle of the eleventh century. The choice of name belongs to the pope himself. Though there is no canon law requiring that someone take a different name upon becoming pope, the tradition now has the weight of centuries behind it.

In addition, the practice has a certain usefulness, since it allows each new pope to make a kind of statement about his hopes and intentions for his papacy. Reasons for the names chosen have varied. John I. In our own day, Pope St.