How does the pope choose his name?
Since the XIe A century, tradition has it that the elected official on the stone throne (which was called Simon) adopted a new name. Most often, the first name chosen is a tribute paid to one of its predecessors or a saint, with which the new pope has a particular relationship. This explains the multiplication of jeans (23 to date), in homage to the apostle, the Grégoire or des Benoît (16), des Clément (14) or Léon (13).
Elected in 1958, John XXIII had broken the succession of the pie (there were 12), who had marked by a certain intransigence in the XIXe and xxe centuries. The new Pope simply explained that Jean was the name of his father. Paul VI chose him in reference to Saint Paul and was like his model a traveler. As for Benoît XVI, he surprised his world by choosing as a model the founder of Benedictine monasticism and the reference to Benoît XV, “Pope of peace” During the First World War.
In 2013, when the international press greeted the election of François Ier, the Vatican had quickly sent a fix to avoid any confusion, requesting the abandonment of the Roman figure that was used to seeing attached on behalf of the last popes. The choice of this simplified name, “François”in reference to Saint Francis of Assisi, had been hailed as “A great symbol of humility”.