Symbolism
Often the new pontiff's choice of name upon being elected to the papacy is seen as a signal to the world of who the new pope will emulate, what policies he will seek to enact, or even the length of his reign. Such was the case with Benedict XVI – it was speculated that he chose the name because he wished to emulate Benedict XV, and to also call attention to the fact that at 7.5 years, Benedict XV's reign was relatively short. Benedict XVI's own reign, which ended with his resignation on 28 February 2013, also lasted less than 8 years.
Saint Peter was the first Pope; no Pope of Rome has chosen the name Peter II, although there is no prohibition against doing so. Since the 1970s some antipopes, with only a minuscule following, took the name Pope Peter II.
Probably because of the controversial fifteenth-century antipope known as Pope John XXIII, this name was avoided for over 500 years until the election of Pope (of Rome) John XXIII. Immediately after John XXIII's election as pope in 1958, it was not known if he would be John XXIII or XXIV; he decided that he would be known as John XXIII. The number used by an antipope is not usually included in the sequence.
Read more about this topic: Papal Name
Famous quotes containing the word symbolism:
“...I remembered the rose bush that had reached a thorny branch out through the ragged fence, and caught my dress, detaining me when I would have passed on. And again the symbolism of it all came over me. These memories and visions of the poor—they were the clutch of the thorns. Social workers have all felt it. It holds them to their work, because the thorns curve backward, and one cannot pull away.”
—Albion Fellows Bacon (1865–1933)