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Comment on Do all popes have to use name's from past popes or saints? Or could I be Pope badassmotherfucker? Or just my regular name?

ViatorOmnium@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

It’s just tradition. Early popes used their own names. The tradition started in the 6th century because an elected pope was named Mercurius after the Roman god and he thought it was bad PR to keep it. The last pope to use his birth name was in the 16th century (Marcello II)

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HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Yeah. To add to what your said, the tradition of taking on a new name has become a political statement in its own right. The name is a reflection on how the Pope intends to lead.

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- BladeFederation@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  In what way? What is “Leo” implying abkut leadership?
  
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  - evike@feddit.uk ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    www.astrology.com/zodiac-signs/leo
    
    But more seriously, the previous Pope Leo was known for supporting unions and workers en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rerum_novarum so it’s likely a nod to that.
    
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