There's more to a name than first meets the eye. And the new Pope's choice to be called Leo XIV says much about how he sees his papacy.
The last pope who chose that name was Leo XIII who reigned for 25 years – from 1878 until his death in 1903 – making his reign the fourth longest of any pope.
It was his groundbreaking Encyclical, Rerum novarum and his commitment to social justice and promoting human dignity that caused him to be called “The Pope of the Workers”.
But he also issued a record eleven encyclicals on the Rosary which earned him the title “The Rosary Pope”.
Perhaps it's no coicidence that the new Pope Leo chose to conclude his first greeting to the crowds in St Peter's Square by reciting the prayer of the Hail Mary and invoking Our Lady's intercession.
