“Hello, My Name is Pope”
Pope Leo XIII
On May 8th, the conclave of cardinals officially elected a new pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost. Now one of the first things to pay attention to with a new pope is the name they select. A pope’s chosen name often signals the kind of pope they want to be and which issues they may prioritize.
For example, Saint Pope John Paul II chose a name that both honored his immediate predecessor’s short papacy, as well as Popes John XXIII and Paul VI. John XXIII opened Vatican II and Paul VI closed the council, so the name choice may have signified a firm intent to continue a spirit of reform.
Pope Benedict XVI chose his name to honor St. Benedict, the Father of Western Monasticism, and Pope Benedict XV, who served during WWI and strove for peace among nations. The name likely signified the scholarly, monastic approach he took to his faith, as well as his desire for peace in a post 9-11 world.
Pope Francis honored Assisi’s saint and shared his love of nature and the poor. In choosing an unused papal name, he also signaled that his approach would be something new.
Now what of Pope Leo XIV? The name clearly honors Pope Leo XIII, who served from 1878 to 1903. During the pervious papacy, the Italian government had seized the papal states, stripping the pope of his temporal powers, but not his spiritual authority.
As the world dove headlong into modernity, nations shed their reliance on God and traditional theological instruction in favor of an ever-expanding horizon of popular -isms. Leo XIII preached the complementarity of faith and reason. New ways of thinking were not to be wholly rejected, but neither were they to be deified.
As kingdoms fell and new governments sprang up like weeds, Pope Leo XIII continued to preach that governments were natural institutions obligated by God-given authority to serve the people in whatever form that government may take. He respected the division between civil and spiritual affairs and encouraged a healthy balance.
Wading into the choppy waters of modern economics, Pope Leo XIII criticized both socialism and capitalism. He saw socialism as an irrational and false system that fomented unrest among classes and deified the state. On the other hand, he recognized the evils of unrestrained capitalism and championed the working poor, calling on governments to pay laborers fair wages.
Pope Leo XIII was also known as the Rosary Pope. He wrote eleven encyclicals on the rosary and even dedicated the month of October to Mary and the rosary.
What can we gather from all this? It may be too early to say, but maybe, like his predecessor, Pope Leo XIV wants to be a voice of reason at a time of turbulent change and popular morality. He may encourage careful reflection and scholarly study as humanity toys with new, powerful technologies and divides itself into ever-splintering tribes. In a world of massive, waring ideologies, he may wish to be a voice that calls both sides to refocus their attention on the moral good, serving the poor and vulnerable.
There is much a Pope’s name can suggest, but only time and God’s good will can reveal what this Leo will mean to the world.
Brian Rutter, PhD, is the cofounder of Hundredfold Video and plant biologist working for 2Blades at the University of Minnesota. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our “Sower Stories – Odd Facts About Plants” and video production tips in your inbox every month!
Works Cited:
Brock, Michael L. “Pope Leo XIII: A Critique of the Modern World.” Christendom Media 1, no. 2 (1975).
Murray, Fr. Scott. “11 Benefits of the Rosary from the 11 Marian Encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII.” Catholicinsight.com, 7 October 2024, https://catholicinsight.com/2024/10/07/11-benefits-of-the-rosary-from-the-11-marian-encyclicals-of-pope-leo-xiii/, Accessed 19 May 2025.
