What's in a Pope's name?

So what’s in a name. When it comes to the papacy, almost everything.

The name a new pope chooses can reveal a lot about his thinking and plans for the Catholic church.

Cardinal Robert Prevost chose Leo XIV – a pope whose teachings on social and economic justice are felt today.

DAN HITCHENS is a senior editor at First Things and a columnist at Compact magazines. He recognised the significance of the name as soon as he heard it announced from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.