On Papal Names

If you liked Moses, you'll love the Popes!

There was much reaction to Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio's name choice of Francis. No one had ever chosen the name of the Saint of humility. He being a Jesuit must be making a statement by choosing the name of the founder of the mendicant Franciscan order, the icon of poverty, perhaps in contrast to the penchant for worldly riches of many American Jesuits. The name choice was indeed remarkable for those reasons and at least a couple more.

This was the first time a Pope chose the name of a non-pope in over a millennium, since Pope Lando +914. And even in the case of Lando, and in fact the majority (if not all) the new papal names previous to him, the popes did not chose a name at all, but retained their own baptismal name, which in the case of Bergoglio would have been Pope George (Jorge). Those who did not wish to retain their baptismal name would traditionally choose a name of one of their predecessors. Therefore, this is probably the first time in history that a Pope chose a non-papal name for himself, with the same sort of freedom with which a confirmand chooses a confirmation name!

If that is the way it is to be, and indeed it is, because the Pope is quite free in this matter (as in every other disciplinary matter, being the supreme authority on the earth); I provide here a few suggestions for names of his successors, all of them names of Saints (mindful that the succeeding Holy Fathers could also freely choose the name of a non-saint non-pope, even though Bergoglio did choose that of a Saint non-pope.

--Michael (the Archangel, to combat Satan)
--Rafael (the Archangel, to promote marriage)
--Gabriel (the Archangel, to promote virginity)
--Dominic (the founder of the Order of Preachers, a logical compliment to Francis)
--Jose-Maria (the founder of Opus Dei)
--Joseph (the patron of the Church)
--Jesus (the Savior Himself: a popular Latin-American name)
--Bernard (the great monastic reformer)
--Augustine
--Thomas (Aquinas)
--George (the dragon slaying patron of Greece)

Note that in addition to no pope ever having taken the name Peter, popes have also avoided the names of the apostles in general (John and Paul being the exceptions and even in those cases [Pope Saint John I and Pope Saint Paul I] the elected pontiff simply kept his baptismal name, the custom being you either keep your own name or choose the name of a predecessor).

I do not think any Pope will ever choose a female name (too perplexing) except in the case of an hyphenated name with that of Mary (Maria) second (as above), a common Catholic custom in some cultures.

Papal Name Choices