In order to commemorate a predecessor and express their intention to emulate them, many people traditionally choose to use their name.
The first pope, St. Peter, whose given name was Simon, established this pattern.From 1878 until 1903, Leo
XIII, an Italian born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the last pope to use the name Leo.
As they assume the esteemed position, changing their name also represents a kind of second birth.
Although Leo XIV has not yet provided an explanation, many have conjectured as to why he would have chosen to become the fourteenth pope of that name.
What meaning does the name Leo have?Pope Leo XIII is renowned for his encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” which translates to
“Of New Things,” and is “regarded as the foundation for the modern social doctrine of the Church,” the director of the Holy See told reporters.
