Why does the Pope take on an assumed name?

Why does the Pope pick a poping name, like a rapper or a boxer?

I was unaware of this practice. I'm so ignorant about some things, I thought that the last one really was named John Paul II.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Why does the Pope pick a poping name, like a rapper or a boxer?

I was unaware of this practice. I'm so ignorant about some things, I thought that the last one really was named John Paul II.

I was expecting George Ringo I

the black, black, black then white smoke business amazed me.

Originally posted by Peachy
the black, black, black then white smoke business amazed me.

When you consider that there have been 250 odd Popes before, the fact that the ceremony is a bit dated shouldn't really enter the equation 😉

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Why does the Pope pick a poping name, like a rapper or a boxer?

I was unaware of this practice. I'm so ignorant about some things, I thought that the last one really was named John Paul II.

I heard it started with some Pope with a Greek god's name. Mercury? He did not think it was appropriate so he changed it to John or something else more biblical.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Why does the Pope pick a poping name, like a rapper or a boxer?

I was unaware of this practice. I'm so ignorant about some things, I thought that the last one really was named John Paul II.

Must be the clothes. They're pretty close to pimp clothes. I don't believe their clothes would be distinguishable from a pimps if they were to wear a more stylish hat. Think about it.

Originally posted by marinakatomb
When you consider that there have been 250 odd Popes before, the fact that the ceremony is a bit dated shouldn't really enter the equation 😉

Actually, this new one weighs in as the 265th. I bet your gald you know that now, huh? Very important information. 😉

thats amaaaazin.. i am gald!!!!!

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Why does the Pope pick a poping name, like a rapper or a boxer?

I was unaware of this practice. I'm so ignorant about some things, I thought that the last one really was named John Paul II.

One perk of being pope is that you can pick your own name. This wasn't always the case. Originally, popes kept their given names, but in 532, when a priest named Mercury assumed the throne, he discarded his pagan name in favor of John II. By the early 11th century, new names were the rule. Marcellus II, elected in 1555, was the last pope to keep his given name.

Various popes have rechristened themselves after apostles or other important church figures; many have taken names that project an image, like Pius, Clement or Innocent. Frequently, a pope will name himself for a distinguished predecessor: in 1831, Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari became Gregory XVI because he particularly admired Gregory the Great (pope from 590 to 604) and St. Gregory VII (1073-85).

Among the 265 popes are 43 whose names have been used only once. The list includes Linus, Eusebius, Agatho, Sisinnius, Formosus, Romanus and the improbable Hilarius. It's unlikely that the next pope will choose any of these. It is also all but certain that he will not fashion himself Peter II, after the first pope, whose name is held sacrosanct.

Generally, modern popes name themselves in deference to a Holy Father who helped them rise through the church's hierarchy or otherwise shaped their careers. Hence, for the last few centuries, the same names have tended to recur.

From 1667 to 1774, 6 of the 12 popes were Clements; after them, 7 of the next 11 were Piuses. In fact, just six papal names - Clement, Pius, Benedict, Leo, Innocent and Gregory - account for every pope from 1590 to 1958, with only four 17th-century exceptions: Paul V, Urban VIII, and Alexanders VII and VIII.

When the reform-minded Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli became John XXIII in 1958, he signaled his break with centuries of tradition by adopting his father's name. In doing so, he also reached back more than 600 years to his papal namesake, John XXII (1316-34).

http://hnn.us/roundup/comments/11286.html

I was under the impression that the habit of taking names started from someone taking the name of their predecessor (who was rather well liked) in an effort to show they would be continuing the good work.

Of course, that may not be the ORIGINAL reason (happy to defer to Nemesio here). But certainly it explains some of the "runs" of names. John Paul I named himself after the previous TWO popes, and John Paul II, you will be astounded to know, named himself after his (very brief) predecessor.

Pope Benedict has chosen his name because it refers to a "program" he wants to realise during his pontificate. The name tells us something about the Pope's intentions, his intended policies.

Saint Benedict is one of the patrons of Europe. He, and others, brought Christianity, the Christian values and civilisation to Europe. The present Pope has the intention of doing exactly the same: the (re-)evangelisation of secular Europe. Europe has to find its Christian roots again.

The Pope's predecessor Benedict XV began his pontificate in 1914 the year the First World War began. He remained neutral in the conflict and tried to broker a peace agreement between the parties involved.
Now in 2005, the new pope also wants to be a pope who works hard for peace and reconciliation. There is a global war going on, called the War Against Terrorism. I'm sure he will initiate efforts to promote peace between the Western and the Arab countries, between Christianity and Islam.

His predecessor had a relatively short pontificate (1914-1922). The new pope also expects a short pontificate.

Benedict XV in his first Encyclical condemned errors in modern philosophical systems, Benedict XVI will do the same (New Age, moral relativism and the autonomy of the human self).

Originally posted by ivanhoe

Benedict XV in his first Encyclical condemned errors in modern philosophical systems, Benedict XVI will do the same (New Age, moral relativism and the autonomy of the human self).

That is to say, he will denounce all of those, including human autonomy?

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
That is to say, he will denounce all of those, including human autonomy?

That's a real bummer, isn't it Dear Doctor ?

Among the 265 popes are 43 whose names have been used only once. The list includes Linus, Eusebius, Agatho, Sisinnius, Formosus, Romanus and the improbable Hilarius


I think Hilarius II would be a really cool name name for a pope.

Originally posted by ivanhoe

That's a real bummer, isn't it Dear Doctor ?

Well, if I had a bent for circular thought and accepted that I was not autonomous because somebody told me I wasn't, I suppose it might be a real bummer.

But as is, I really couldn't care less. If anything, it should make for some amusing copy-and-paste material from you in the forums. I can see the headlines now:
"German leader convinces masses to do his bidding."