Why Leo?

The election of American-born Robert Francis Prevost as the successor to the throne of St. Peter caught almost everyone off-guard. Not only was he a newly-minted cardinal (only made one by Francis in 2023), he is also an American! Never in the history of the papacy has an American come close to the throne, and many pundits have been proven otherwise for saying for years that the Cardinals will never allow a superpower in the Vatican; but our topic today is on the name that the new pope has chosen: Leo.

According to Karl Shoemaker, a history professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison with affiliate appointments in religious studies, legal studies, and sociology, while there are no strict rules governing how popes choose their papal names, the selections are made deliberately and are usually taken to have significance in relation to previous popes of the same name, usually to honor them. Recent popes like Francis have shown more creativity and independence in choosing their regnal names. Pope Francis, although a Jesuit, chose the name of the founder of the Franciscan order. Pope Francis chose the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, and because he felt a strong connection to the saint's focus on the poor and the marginalized. Aside from being the first pope from South America, he was also the first Francis in the history of the papacy.

There have been many speculations about Pope Leo's choice of name and in fact some have pointed out the eerie similarity between a photo of Leo XIV and Leo XIII. Catholic theologians saw the name as important because it connected the new pope to Pope Leo XIII, a major voice in Catholic social teaching who championed the poor and working class during times of significant economic change.

So what does 'Leo' mean? On its face value, means "lion". Like many names, its origin is Latin, from the genitive Leonis), and is associated with it a sense of regality, dignity, and leadership. In astronomy, it is the northern constellation east of Cancer and is the fifth sign of the zodiac in astrology.

Since he is the fourteenth Leo, he has some really interesting predecessor namesakes. For instance, Leo I, also known as Leo the Great, defended the Church’s authority and persuaded Attila the Hun to turn back from invading Rome. Leo II emphasized the condemnation of heresies while Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, strengthening the alliance between the papacy and the Frankish kingdom.

Forward to Leo IX his papacy saw the beginnings of the East–West Schism. It was the next Leo, Leo X, who excommunicated Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation. Leo XII tried to restore papal authority and traditional Church practices after the Napoleonic era while Leo XIII is remembered for his encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.

Pope Leo's legal name is Robert Francis Prevost, with Robert being Germanic in origin and meaning “bright fame” or “shining glory" while Francis is Latin which stands for "free man". The surname Prévost (also spelled Prevost) is of French origin, derived from the Old French prevost and Latin praepositus. It originally referred to a local official, provost, or overseer --someone who held a position of authority, such as the head of a town, monastery, or military unit.

I am confident that as a former theologian and teacher, the new pope is cognizant of the origins of his given and last names, all referring to greatness. The name Leo is clearly no different. Catholics may expect nothing but regality, dignity, and leadership in the years to come!