The Cardinals were quarantined in the Vatican ahead of Wednesday's meeting and they would vote on who would lead the Catholic Church next to them.
They did not appear until white smoke poured into the air, and the senior cardinal declared “Habemus Papam” – “We have a pope.”
He would tell those who gathered in St. Peter's Square the name of the baptism, and then his pope.
Speaking of the Pope, there are many names that can be said.
But, what is the name of the Pope?
How to choose a name and what can it mean?
Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy at the University of Manhattan, New York, said the cardinals entering the meeting might come up with a name that if they were appointed as the new pope, they would use the new pope.
“Once you know you're going to that room, walk into the pope with you or yourself, you'll think about it,” she told Global News in an interview with Global News.
Although the name may vary depending on how the Cardinals want the church to proceed, the continuity or discontinuity of their predecessor Popes is one of the most important issues.
However, until the mid-20th century, choosing a name marked the purpose of the pope. Before this, sometimes you would choose a name based on the name of the Pope's baptism, or you would like to pay tribute to the former Pope.
Pope John Paul I was a pope in 1978 for a few months and he chose the name to commemorate the two popes involved with the Council of the Reformed Catholic Church – John XXIII and Paul VI.
The name marks a commitment to reforms established by the Council, including ending Mass Latin to support local language practices.
From August 26 to September 28, 1978, his pope lasted only 33 days, but his successor, John Paul II, chose to continue his legacy by choosing the same name to indicate.
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Choosing a name may also lead to insight into the priorities of the new pope, such as the recent Pope Francis, who chose the name of St. Francis of Assisi, known for his humility, poverty and the love of all living things.
Pope Francis marked the focus of the Pope on those who were seen as outsiders, such as the poor, prisoners and the LGBTQ2 community, and promoted peace and care for the environment.
“I think the Pope's election has two or two dialogues with the past,” Imperatori-Lee said. “The direct predecessors and legacies of different popes and the history of the saints, namely the Hajic Dialogue, do you particularly want this pope to look like or embodied saints?”
Why choose a new name instead of your own?
Despite the convention, the Pope does not have to choose another name. Many people did use their names in the first millennium.
Things changed around the 11th century.
“It has become a custom, a tradition to change names,” Ontario, Mark Yenson, interim vice president and academic dean of King’s College London, Ontario, associate professor of religious studies. “It’s a tradition, there’s no tough and quick rules for it, but it’s one of the ways the pope really shows what their priorities are and what they might want to take over the leadership of the church.”
Many chose names related to the former Pope. John was chosen by 23 popes, followed by Benedict and Gregory, both 16 years old.
The name of the pope may also be completely different from before, for example, Francis chose a name that was not used by any pope in the past.
Names you may not see
You may not see some when people are waiting for the name.
The first one is Peter, Yenson said many people would avoid it because it was the first pope's name.
The name is innocent, although it has been used 13 times before and in movies in conclusionmay not be used again. Imperatori-Lee said the cardinal will be able to “read the room” in amid the abuse scandals faced by the church in recent years and know that the name is not suitable for this time.
She added that because of how long John Paul II served, it could be the time to use the name one after another, because his influence was “large” in the church, people “may want to get rid of it.”
The next pope's name was not known until the white smoke poured out from Sistine Chapel and announced from St. Peter's Basilica, but when it was announced, people could use it to learn what came from the church.
“If the new pope was named after Francis, then we would know that this was indeed a continuity candidate,” said Yenson. “If they were named after a pope that was more distant in history, we might have to do some digging to figure out what they were looking for, or if they were named after a saint, we could guess, but we might have to wait for that pope to be clearer in the days.”
But Imperatori-Lee pointed out that choosing a new name is not just a signal to the Pope’s road, but more.
“It's a new character,” she said. “We've always done this in real life, not just the pope. When babies are baptized, they are given names in Catholicism, and when a child is confirmed, they choose a new name of a saint… The whole idea of a new name is playing a new role, a new life, a new identity, a new identity, a new identity, a new identity, a new identity, a new identity, a new role, and very intentionally plays a new role and plays a new role in a new role.
