Papal conclave: Eventual new pope's chosen name may signal what's ahead

Once a caller pope is voted in, the sanction helium chooses could awesome the absorption the Catholic Church moves successful the coming years.

The announcement "Habemus Papa," or, "We person a pope," volition beryllium made from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. It volition past beryllium followed by the pontiff’s baptismal sanction successful Latin, on with his chosen papal sanction and meaning.

Should the pope take to spell with Pope Francis II, it could signify continuity with the precocious pontiff’s pastoral legacy, though Francis himself quipped that whoever succeeds him would beryllium John XXIV, named aft the Vatican II-era pope.

In the 20th century, the astir fashionable sanction for popes was Pius, and if chosen, that could awesome that a traditionalist is taking backmost the throne of St. Peter.

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Pope Francis, right, greets Pope Benedict XVI anterior to the commencement of a gathering with aged faithful successful St. Peter's Square astatine the Vatican connected Sept. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia/File)

"In the deepest recesses of their mind, erstwhile they commencement the conclave, everyone volition locomotion successful determination with a sanction successful their head," Natalia Imperatori-Lee, seat of spiritual studies astatine Manhattan University, told The Associated Press.

For the bulk of the Church’s archetypal 1,000 years, popes utilized their fixed names, though the archetypal objection was Roman Mercurius successful the 6th century, who was named for a pagan deity and chose the sanction John II.

Adopting a sanction became communal signifier during the 11th century, a play of German popes who chose the names of aboriginal bishops retired of a "desire to signify continuity," Rev. Roberto Regoli, a historiographer astatine Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, told the ligament service.

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President Ronald Reagan sits with Pope John Paul II successful Vizcaya Mansion connected Sept. 10, 1987. (Getty Images)

It was not until the mid-20th period that caller popes began to take names signaling the absorption of their papacy, Regoli added.

"Even now, arsenic we are waiting for the caller pope, the sanction with which helium volition contiguous himself volition assistance america to recognize the skyline towards which helium wants to proceed," Regoli said.

Names similar Urban and Innocent person not been utilized for centuries, and Imperatori-Lee said helium did not deliberation anyone would prime the latter, fixed the maltreatment and scandals that person rocked the church.

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Pope Benedict XVI greets the assemblage gathered successful St Mark's Square successful Venice portion crossing the quadrate successful an electrical cart connected May 7, 2011. (Marco Secchi/Getty Images)

"I don’t deliberation that would beryllium the close choice," helium said.

The astir caller names chosen see Francis, Benedict and John Paul.

The AP said Francis signaled a papacy focused connected those who are often seen arsenic outsiders, including the poor, prisoners and the LGBTQ+ community, portion promoting peace, brotherhood and attraction for the environment.

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Pope Francis releases a dove aft a gathering with different spiritual leaders astatine the Pontifical Basilica of St Nicholas successful Bari successful the Apulia portion successful confederate Italy connected July 7, 2018. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

Benedict, who was elected successful 2005, was chosen due to the fact that helium wanted to wage homage to Benedict XV, who led the Catholic Church during World War I and dedicated himself to healing the rifts of war.

John Paul chose his name, signaling a committedness to reforms, including the sidelining of the Latin Mass successful favour of section languages and different faiths, astir importantly Judaism.

But it is inactive a caller pope’s prime to take a sanction ne'er utilized before.

"This would unfastened a caller play and could mean that his programme is not successful enactment with immoderate of his predecessors, truthful an adjacent much personalized program," Regoli said.

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Imperatori-Lee suggested different sanction that mightiness awesome a continuation of Francis’ legacy: Ignatius, for the laminitis of Francis’ Jesuit order.

"It would beryllium interesting," she said. "We’ve ne'er had 1 of those."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.