New Pope’s first message may be encoded in the name he chooses
“John” would connote a gentle father while “Pius” could herald an era of deep conservatism. A name from the distant papal past - improbable ones like Zephyrinus, Hilarus or Formosus - would send Catholics scurrying to their history books to see what it could mean.
The maxim “Nomen est omen” (Latin for “a name is a sign”) is as valid today for Popes as it was for ancient Romans whose emperors took new names or titles when they assumed power.
“It’s a practice that goes back as far as the Book of Genesis, where Abram changed his name to Abraham,” said John-Peter Pham, a former Vatican diplomat. “Simon changed his name to Peter, which means rock,” he added. “Because Christ said he was the rock on which he would build the Church.” There is no law saying Popes must choose a new name, but a tradition more than 1,000 years old cannot be ignored. Popes declare their choice right after being elected.
The first Pope known to have changed his name was John II in 533. He was previously called Mercury but thought the Christian pontiff should not have the name of a pagan Roman god. This became more common after an 18-year-old with another name from pagan times, Octavian, was chosen in a rigged election in 955 and decided to take the name John XII. A man named Peter opted for Sergius IV in 1009 out of respect for the first Pope.
Popes who bore the name Pius made it synonymous with deep conservativism. Pius IX (1846-1878) rejected democracy, Pius X (1903-1914) denounced modern liberal politics and Pius XI (1922-1939) ran the Church in an autocratic way. When Albino Luciani was elected in 1978, he took the first double name in papal history, John Paul I, to show he wanted to combine John XXIII’s reforms with the more traditional stand of his immediate predecessor, Paul VI (1963-1978).
When John Paul I died 33 days later, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland honoured him by taking the name John Paul II. “It is said that he considered something more Slavic, like Stanislas, but then thought the better of it,” said Mr Pham. The next Pope could be tempted to call himself John Paul III. But if Wojtyla goes down in history as John Paul the Great, a successor taking his name could risk being known as John Paul the Lesser. Without knowing the identity of the next pope, it is hard to guess which name he will pick - but that hasn’t stopped bookies Paddy Power from opening betting on it.
A surprise choice - Benedict - leads the pack ahead of John Paul and John mostly because someone has placed an unusually large bet on it, said spokesman Paddy Power.
