In selecting a name for a child, the name is more revealing about the parents in choosing it than about the individual born to bear it. Similarly, a new pope’s name selection to head the Roman Catholic Church (“Church”) is most revealing about him.
The late Pope Francis had selected a name never before chosen which, in itself, was telling. It suggested he sought to avoid the appearance of falling in line with any predecessor, setting his own distinct direction. He did make a Vatican course change—taking the Church away from traditionalism and putting it on a more liberal trajectory.
Accordingly, we must ask why Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, the 267th pope, selected Leo, becoming “Leo XIV.” The first American ever selected, does he intend to stay, modify or seriously alter the course set by Pope Francis?
On May 10, in his first formal meeting and Mass with the cardinals, he extended his appreciation for the honor they bestowed upon him, setting a tone of “humility, continuity and openness.” While “continuity” suggests an alignment along the direction set by Francis, one wonders, if so, why he failed to select “Francis II” as his “nom de papacy.”
What factors may have influenced his selection?
Historically, popes named Leo seem to have had major impacts on the Church.
Perhaps not a direct influence but, nonetheless, of consideration is that “Leo” is the Latin word for “lion”—a context in which many leaders, regardless of profession, like to be perceived. The 12th century king of England, Richard I, was given the name “the Lionheart” by his enemies in recognition of his fearlessness in battle. While Leo XIV will wield no sword, the name does suggest he will be a social warrior for the Church and its followers.
Let us examine some of the accomplishments of earlier Pope Leos.
Leo I, the 45th pope (440–461), was one of three papal leaders to be designated “the Great.” A major influence both inside and out of the Church, among his most noted accomplishments was a 452 meeting with Attila the Hun, whom he successfully convinced not to invade Italy—no wonder Leo I is referred to as one of the greatest popes of all times.
Leo III (795–816) was a Roman, serving as the 96th pope. He made history by crowning the first Holy Roman Emperor—Charlemagne—who became defender of the Christian faith, helping to spread the religion across the pagan regions of Europe.
Leo IX (1049–1054) and Leo X (1513–1521)—the 152nd and 217th popes respectively—both led the Church during times of internal friction.
A schism had occurred in the Church due to Emperor Constantine’s shifting the Roman Empire’s authority from Rome, eastward, to Constantinople in 330. This created internal tension that still plagued the Church during Leo IX’s tenure. As Constantinople was viewed as the “New Rome,” division existed as to which city controlled Catholicism. It was Leo IX’s initiative that led the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church to separate—with the former situated in Rome and the latter in Constantinople.
Leo X faced division as well as German theologian Martin Luther criticized the Church in 1519 for corruption. Two years earlier he wrote a work critical of the Church selling “indulgences” in exchange for salvation, arguing salvation only came through one’s faith. During the last year of his papacy, Leo X excommunicated Luther. Again, a split in the Church resulted, this time with Protestant faiths breaking away.
Also noted among the string of papal Leos was Leo XIII. The 256th pope and, at age 93 the oldest to serve, he logged the fourth longest tenure in papal history (1878-1903). Interestingly, in 1896, he became the earliest person born (1810) to ever be captured on movie film. Leo XIII was a champion of the working class, authoring a papal letter in 1891 calling for the Church to speak out on social issues and warning against taking advantage of the working class.
In his May 10 comments, Leo XIV referenced this papal letter as one reason why he chose the name to continue down “this same path.”
Among popes, Leos have a positive image in confronting adversity and advocating for unity.
Pope Francis (2013–2025) left behind a progressive legacy. He opened up topics that were outside the Church’s culture—including climate change as a moral issue, unfettered capitalism, and financial transparency within the Vatican.
Interestingly, prior to Prevost’s election to replace Francis as pope, bettors predicted him to be a longshot. They believed a new pope would not be elected from among any “power country.” By the second day of voting, Prevost was only given a 1.8% chance of being selected by the conclave.
With Leo XIV taking the helm of the Vatican’s ship of state, Church traditionalists probably would have felt better had he chosen the name Benedict, conveying an intention to follow the course set by Benedict XVI (2005–2013)—considered the last conservative pontiff.
So, then, what course will Leo XIV set?
As a cardinal, Prevost demonstrated a liberal mindset, serving as a close ally of Francis. The liberal New York Times was clearly pleased with his selection, stating that Prevost “stand[s] in contrast to the energized conservative Catholicism in his home country” and suggesting he represents a “balanced alternative” between “those who wanted to continue Pope Francis’ inclusive but at times provocative agenda, and those who preferred to return to a more conservative path focused on doctrinal purity.”
Both the late and new pope were critics of President Donald Trump. Criticism by the former started during Trump’s 2016 campaign and almost became Catholic doctrine. He clashed with Trump’s treatment of immigrants, including the building of a wall on our southern border. Before becoming pope, Prevost had been critical of both Trump and Vice President JD Vance, again concerning immigration issues.
It is interesting Pope Francis criticized construction of our border wall as he resided securely behind a wall reaching as high as 39 feet, built in the 9th century to keep pirates from invading again. Ironically, that wall was built by a Leo—Leo IV—the 104th pope (847–855).
Based on their histories, the papal name Leo suggests one who willingly confronts division head-on, hoping to be a unifier but also willing to take the steps necessary to isolate further dangers to fracturing the Church.
Leo XIV did show a spark of Leoism during his May 10 remarks, calling for unity in faith and purpose.
A betting Catholic would probably put money on Leo XIV continuing in the general direction of Pope Francis, with minimal “righting” of the ship of state to encourage unity. Perhaps Robert Francis Prevost felt it unnecessary to take the name Francis as that is already his middle name.
While Leo XIV’s first Mass unsurprisingly evoked the teachings of Francis, we will have to wait to see if there are any major course changes.
However, it should come as no surprise if the new pontiff reveals himself to be a Francis in Leo’s clothing.
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Image: YouTube video screen grab.
This article was originally published at www.americanthinker.com
