Why Robert Prevost’s New Name Is Significant

Topline Robert Prevost was elected as the new pope Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV—suggesting he intends to work on behalf of the working class by continuing the legacy of predecessor Pope Leo XIII. Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on May 8. Key Facts Pope Leo XIV made his first public appearance Thursday after being chosen through a days-long conclave process, speaking from the balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The first Pope Leo, the 5th-century Pope Leo I, was termed “Leo the Great” and has been referred to as one of the greatest popes of all time, while the most recent pope to have that name, Pope Leo XIII, served from 1878-1903. Pope Leo XIII is remembered as a champion of the working class, having authored an encyclical that calls for the church to speak out on social issues, promotes labor unions and warns against taking advantage of the working class. “To exercise pressure upon the indigent and the destitute for the sake of gain, and to gather one’s profit out of the need of another, is condemned by all laws, human and divine,” Pope Leo XIII wrote, also arguing that “defraud[ing] any one of wages” they’re owed “is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven.” Pope Leo XIV did not offer any explanation for his name choice in his address Thursday, but many have speculated it’s likely tied to Pope Leo XIII’s legacy of championing the working class, with Rev. Art Purcaro, a friend of Pope Leo XIV, pointing to Leo XIII’s commitment to “social thought” and telling CNN he believes the name choice means Leo XIV “wants to continue the role that Pope Francis” played in promoting social justice. Rev. John Lydon, Pope Leo XIV’s former housemate, similarly told CNN he believes Prevost chose the name Leo “to tie into the first pope that gave us the Catholic social teaching of the church.” Crucial Quote Purcaro told CNN he believes Pope Leo XIV’s name choice reflects the new pope’s belief that bettering society is “not something that the hierarchy does for us, it’s something that we do for the world, together.” “I’m not surprised that he has chosen that name, and I’m very pleased that he has chosen that name,” Purcaro told CNN. Who Is Pope Leo Xiv? Pope Leo XIV is the first-ever American pope. He hails from Chicago but previously served as bishop in Chiclayo, Peru, as well as being prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a position at the Vatican that oversees the appointment of new bishops. In his first public address, the pope called for the Catholic Church to be a “church that builds bridges and dialogue,” and is “always open to receive everyone.” Those who know him have suggested he’s likely to lead in the mold of Pope Francis, who expressed more liberal views than previous popes on social issues. It remains to be seen what stance Pope Leo XIV will take on issues like LGBTQ+ rights, however, as Vatican experts suggest he is more of a centrist than his predecessor, and as he previously suggested in 2012 he did not support same-sex marriage. Surprising Fact Pope Leo XIII also authored a text that decried so-called “Americanism”—an irony given Leo XIV becoming the first-ever American pope. Leo XIII sent a letter to bishops in America, in which he wrote the Catholic Church is “not able to give approval to those views which, in their collective sense, are called by some ‘Americanism.’” That refers to the belief that the church should be more relaxed and adaptive to modern ideas, Leo XIII wrote, decrying the suggestion that “the Church should shape her teachings more in accord with the spirit of the age and relax some of her ancient severity and make some concessions to new opinions.” Leo XIII called on American bishops to “repudiate and condemn [Americanism] as being most injurious to themselves and to their country,” claiming that if they didn’t, it would suggest that bishops in America want “the Church in America to be different from what it is in the rest of the world.” Tangent Prevost’s adoption of the name Pope Leo XIV comes after the name was used in the 1986 movie “Saving Grace,” in which actor Tom Conti plays Pope Leo XIV, a fictional pope who gets locked out of the Vatican and ends up in a southern Italian town. Key Background Prevost was elected pope Thursday after the secretive conclave process began a day earlier, in which cardinals elect the new pope through rounds of secret ballots. Following several rounds Wednesday and Thursday in which no pope received the two-thirds majority necessary to be elected, white smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday evening in Rome, signaling a new pope had been chosen. Prevost’s election as pope came as a surprise, given the common thinking that Americans would not be elected pope given the U.S.’ global dominance. Further Reading Forbes Who Is Robert Francis Prevost? What We Know About Pope Leo XIV—The First American Pope. By Conor Murray Forbes First American Pope Named: Trump, Vance Congratulate Robert Francis Prevost On Election As Pope Leo XIV (Live Updates) By Conor Murray Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/05/08/why-is-leo-xivs-name-significant-what-to-know-about-the-popes-choice/