If You Were Elected Pope, What Name Would You Take?

[12th Doctor]

This is a part of the Papal Conclave game, but I'm not sure when I am going to be able to take that up again, given all the applications I am busy with, and weddings I have to go to and what not (but I promise, I will get to it).  So, just for discussion, if you were chosen to be Pope, what name would you take, and why.  You are invited to have a small list, if you can't quite pick one.


I would probably go with Gregory XVII if I were picked today.  Gregory the Great and Gregory VII are two of my favorite popes... Gregory the Great for his many writings and call for a return to a more wholesome faith.  Gregory VII because of his insistence that the spiritual representatives on Earth should bow to no temporal authority, and for his writings as well.  There were alot of other good/decent Pope Gregory's, but since they all picked the name to salute the previous two I mentioned....

Another name I have been rolling around in my head is Thomas.  First, because of Thomas the Apostle.  I think that, in an age where seeing is believing, his is a important story for people to take notice of.  I myself have the status of a doubted, at times, as an empiricist, and I earier in life, I put my interest in science and had no use for religion.  I am also a big fan of St. Thomas a Becket and St. Thomas More.  Also, the only mentor I have ever had in my life is named "Thomas".

Pius is also on my list.  I am an admirer of Pius IX and Pius X.  I respect Pius XI and I find a lot of myself in Pius XII (who is my personal favorite pope of the 20th century).

[bullmoose88]

Peter.

(To satisfy St. Malachy) :-p

[HappyWarrior]

Matthew to symbolize the more world wide view of the church.  This is because Matthew is considered to be the founder of the Orthodox Church and if I became Pope I would hope to try and reconcil the two.

[Sensei]

Lando II, just for kicks.

[Χahar]

Peter II.

In all seriousness, Cornelius II. Certainly not one of the boring overused names.

Lando II, just for kicks.

Just looked at this list of Popes. All I have to say is, LOL!

[12th Doctor]

Lando II, just for kicks.

Ha, I was eying that one up myself.

[12th Doctor]

Peter II.

In all seriousness, Cornelius II. Certainly not one of the boring overused names.

Lando II, just for kicks.

Just looked at this list of Popes. All I have to say is, LOL!

Yes, I'm sure Pope Hilarius shares your sentiment.

[12th Doctor]

Someone could go with Formosus II, but I don't think anyone wants to be reminded of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod

Although there were three pope Stephen's after that.

[dead0man]

Onarope

or

Aye

or

Stoke

[Sibboleth]

Someone could go with Formosus II, but I don't think anyone wants to be reminded of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod

Although there were three pope Stephen's after that.

Unverified sources claim that during the Cadaver Synod, the unhinged young Pope demanded of the fully-uniformed corpse: "Why did you usurp this See of the Apostle?" Whereat a young deacon crouching nearby shouted, "Because I was evil."

lolz

[afleitch]

Andrew.

A break with tradition perhaps keeping my own name, but it is the saint's name and I wouldn't see any reason to change it.

[12th Doctor]

Someone could go with Formosus II, but I don't think anyone wants to be reminded of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod

Although there were three pope Stephen's after that.

Unverified sources claim that during the Cadaver Synod, the unhinged young Pope demanded of the fully-uniformed corpse: "Why did you usurp this See of the Apostle?" Whereat a young deacon crouching nearby shouted, "Because I was evil."

lolz

Yeah, its almost like a Monty Python skit.  People think that the Renaissance Papacy was bad... probably the worst period in the history of the Church was between the start of the 8th Century and just before the Gregorian Reform.  It's often called the "Age of Iron" because most of the time force ruled the day.  A truly lamentable period.

Formosus, the one "on trial" at the Cadaver Synod was actually one of the better Pope's of the period, if not the best.  Probably why people hated him so much.

And actually, the reason the name Formosus has never been used again was because it was that Pope's birthname and it mean "handsome".  One pope, Paul II, tried to revive the name by picking it for his own, but it was thought that might seem a little vain.

[Senator Ben]

Probably John XXIV, in honor of John XXIII, a great friend of the Jews, and in honor of my father.

[Joe Republic]

Mohammed I

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Mohammed I

Even better:

Martin Luther I

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

Some possibilities:

Cthulhu I
Bob I
Fluffy II (because I want to be a II)
Skeletor I
Optimus Prime I

[12th Doctor]

Andrew.

A break with tradition perhaps keeping my own name, but it is the saint's name and I wouldn't see any reason to change it.

Popes typically just went with thier own names up until around the 10th century.  Until then, the only people who had gone with a different name had been a handful of people whose birthname had been Peter, and they changed it out of deference and respect.

The first Pope to change his name for another reason was (I can't remember which one exactly, but I think it was a Stephen) a man named "Mercury".  At the time it was thought that might give the wrong impression, for obvious reasons, and so he switched to a different name as Pope.  The practice became fairly standard afterwards.  I think the last time a Pope just went by his birthname was in the 14th century.

[J. J.]

Celestine VI. 

[Tender Branson]

Boniface or Innocent.  Can't remember the numbers.

[So the Heroes Fall]

Mohammed I

Even better:

Martin Luther I

Ha, like that.

Then I'd declare myself a fallible false prophet and do everything I could to make my office a joke.

[Frodo]

Probably John XXIV, in honor of John XXIII, a great friend of the Jews, and in honor of my father.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Not to mention that 'John' is also my real first name.   

[Senator Ben]

Probably John XXIV, in honor of John XXIII, a great friend of the Jews, and in honor of my father.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Not to mention that 'John' is also my real first name.   

Yeah, and 'Pope Frodo' would be the best Papal name ever; even better than Lando.

[True Federalist]

Francis I - for much the same reasons as the fictional Declan Walsh did in the novel Vicar of Christ.  The simplicity of the Franciscans blended with the zeal of the Jesuits.

[MSUfan]

Pope Innocent. Modeled after Pope Innocent III.

Oh, how I can only wish that I had his skills.

[??????????]

Pope Flying Spaghetti Monster I

Hey Soulty, would they skip #13 if their was another Pope Pius?