What’s behind the title Robert Prevost has chosen?

Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected pope and might be generally known as Pope Leo XIV.

The 69-year-old is the primary American to develop into a pontiff and can lead members of the Catholic Church’s world group of 1.4bn folks.

Born in Chicago, he’s seen as a reformer and labored for a few years as a missionary in Peru earlier than being made an archbishop there.

He additionally has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a determine who labored with marginalised communities and helped construct bridges within the native Church.

One of many first acts of a brand new pope is to decide on a brand new title, altering their baptismal one.

The choice is a part of a longstanding custom nevertheless it has not at all times been like that.

For greater than 500 years, popes used their very own names.

This then modified to symbolic names with a purpose to simplify their given names or to discuss with earlier pontiffs.

Over time, popes have usually chosen the names of their speedy or distant predecessors out of respect or admiration and to sign the need to comply with of their footsteps and proceed essentially the most related pontificates.

For instance, Pope Francis mentioned his title honoured St Francis of Assisi, and that he was impressed by his Brazilian pal Cardinal Claudio Hummes.

The brand new Pope has not but specified why he has determined to be generally known as Pope Leo XIV.

There might be many causes for it, however the title Leo has been utilized by many popes through the years.

Pope Leo I, also called St Leo the Nice, was pontiff between 440 and 461 AD.

He was the forty fifth pope in historical past and have become recognized for his dedication to peace.

Based on legend, the miraculous apparition of Saints Peter and Paul through the assembly between Pope Leo I and Attila the king of the Huns in 452 AD made the latter desist from invading Italy.

The scene was then depicted by Raphael in a fresco.

The final pope to decide on the title Leo was Pope Leo XIII, an Italian whose baptismal title was Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci.

Elected in 1878, he was the 256th occupant of the throne of St Peter and led the Catholic Church till his demise in 1903.

He’s remembered as a pope who was devoted to social insurance policies and social justice.

He’s notably recognized for issuing an encyclical – a letter despatched to bishops of the Church – referred to as “Rerum Novarum”, a Latin expression which implies “Of New Issues”.

The encyclical included subjects resembling staff’ rights and social justice.

Leo is amongst a few of the hottest papal names.

Essentially the most generally used title has been John, first chosen in 523 by Saint John I, Pope and martyr.

The final pope to decide on this title was Italian Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, elected Pope John XXIII in 1958, who was proclaimed Saint by Pope Francis in 2014.