What's in a (papal) name?

When Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope, why did he choose the name Benedict?

Indeed, why did he change his name at all? Although it is customary for popes to take a new name, it is not required. For the first 1,000 years of Christianity, popes generally retained their baptismal names.

The first pope to take a new name, John II (533-535), did so for practical reasons. His given name was Mercurius, and since he thought it unseemly that the bishop of Rome should share the name of a pagan god, he took the name John. Another exception occurred 400 years later when John XII (955-964) changed his name from Octavianus, also because of the name's pagan origins.

When the first Germanic popes were elected in 996 (Bruno of Carinthia) and 999 (Gerbert of Aurillac) both assumed more "Roman" names--Gregory V and Sylvester II, respectively--out of deference to the prejudices of the Roman population (which unfortunately deprived the church of both a Pope Bruno and a Pope Bert). Finally, two popes with the baptismal name Peter--John XIV (983-984) and Sergius IV (1009-1012)--changed their names out of respect for the first bishop of Rome. Over a period of less than 100 years, an exception had become "tradition."

After the year 1000 only two popes, Adrian VI (1522-1523) and Marcellus II (1555), kept their baptismal names. By then it was common for monks and religious to take new names, and the practice found scriptural backing in the first Peter's own name change from Simon (Matt. 16:18).

Over the centuries the most popular papal names have been John (23 popes), Gregory (16), Benedict (16), Clement (14), Innocent (13), and Pius (12); the last original moniker taken by a pope was Lando (913-914).

Popes have chosen their names for a variety of reasons, some to honor benefactors, others to signal the direction of their papacy. Commentators have claimed that John XXIII (1958-1963) signaled his intention to call an ecumenical council by taking the name of an anti-pope deposed by the Council of Constance (1414-1418), who was also John XXIII. Incidentally, the Council of Constance also decreed that an ecumenical council's authority is greater than that of the pope.

Paul VI (1963-1978) chose his name to indicate his intention to be a missionary in the tradition of St. Paul, while John Paul I and John Paul II chose their names to honor the legacy of the two popes of the Second Vatican Council. Legend has it, however, that Karol Wojtyla originally wanted to take the name Stanislaus after an 11th-century Polish bishop who was murdered by Poland's excommunicated king, a choice that might have indicated Wojtyla's opposition to the communist authorities in his homeland.

The new pope's choice of Benedict may also foretell the direction of his papacy. The last Benedict (XV, 1914-1922) was known for his efforts to end World War I, which he referred to as "the suicide of Europe," and for his attempts to reduce infighting in the church. The name also hearkens back to Benedict of Nursia (480-543), one of Europe's patrons, whose famous Rule begins with the word "listen." Only time will tell, of course, how Pope Benedict XVI will build on the legacy of his name.

Bryan Cones, assistant editor of U.S. Catholic.