How does pope chose name

This is another common question that both Catholics and others often ask and is worth taking some time to answer. As we will see, although there are similarities, there are also differences between the two practices. We will begin with the practice of receiving a new name as a religious sister or brother. The first thing to note is that the practice of receiving a new name as a member of a religious order is not a universal one.

So, a young woman named Natalie would simply be known as Sr. Natalie upon joining her community. Also, practices can change over time within the same community. At one point receiving a new name may have been the practice, but later retaining the baptismal name becomes the norm, or vice versa. We need you. It only takes a minute. Thank you!

Donate now! And today we celebrate Prayer for this morning. Daily meditation. Prayer for this evening. Top For centuries men assuming the top job in the Roman Catholic Church kept their birth names. The first person to adopt a new moniker was Pope John II in Born Mercurio, he felt it unwise to have the name of a pagan god while serving as pontiff. His successors went back to the old way of doing things until Pietro Canepanova was chosen pope in He did not want to use the name of St.

Peter, the first pope, and so switched to John XIV.