As the Church gets to know its new pope, one of the things that is helpful to consider is the name that Cardinal Robert Prevost took upon his election to the See of Peter. It has been the tradition since the sixth century for popes to adopt what are called “regnal names,” and the name chosen can reveal certain things that will be points of emphasis in his pontificate. In 1978, Pope John Paul II adopted the name of his immediate predecessor, who had combined the names of the pope who opened the Second Vatican Council (John XXIII) and the pope who brought it to its conclusion (Paul VI). It was a way for these men to show that they intended to make the implementation of the Council the centerpiece of their pontificates. In 2005, when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope, he chose the regnal name Benedict XVI. This was intended to honor Benedict XV, who led the Church during the First World War, a tragic conflict he described as “the suicide of civilized Europe.” The name choice was also an homage to St. Benedict of Nursia, a co-patron saint of Europe. Pope Benedict XVI’s name highlighted his oft-expressed dismay over the devastating effect that the loss of Christian faith has had on the culture of Europe, and his hope for a rediscovery of the faith that is the very soul of European identity. In 2013, when the votes in the conclave revealed that the cardinals had chosen Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, his friend, Brazilian Cardinal Hummes, embraced him and said, “Don’t forget the poor.” In that moment, he decided to adopt the name of Francis, the beloved saint of Assisi, who chose to be poor in imitation of Christ.
Last week, in his inaugural address to the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo explained that he took the name in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who reigned from 1878-1903. Leo XIII is known mostly as the “Father of Catholic Social Teaching,” due to his publication of the encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891. That encyclical was the pope’s response to the dehumanizing effects of the industrial revolution on human society. Leo XIII was critical of the inhumane excesses of capitalism, while also condemning absolutely the Marxist response. The Church’s teaching about the intrinsic dignity of each human person as made in God’s image would be the foundation of its proposal for the ordering of a more just society in the modern world. In his remarks, Pope Leo XIV explained that he sees the world currently undergoing another industrial revolution, specifically in the fields of technology and the emergence of “artificial intelligence.” While not rejecting outright these technological developments, the pope believes it is important to repropose Catholic Social Teaching in our age as a way of protecting human beings and society from the potentially dehumanizing effects of technological progress.
Along with Catholic Social Teaching, Leo XIII was a fierce promoter of the rosary and defender of Marian doctrines. Last week, Leo XIV revealed upon his election his own love for Our Lady, leading the crowd in St. Peter’s Square in the recitation of the Hail Mary as one of his first public acts as pope. May she be his constant protector and refuge as he begins his pontificate.
posted 5/17/25
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 