Sorry if this is a repost - but I can't find a straight answer on the net.
marymoon
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
I don't know when this was, but hundreds of years ago they elected a pope whose real name was Mercury, and they couldn't have a pope with a 'pagan' name, so he changed his name to a saint name, and it became the tradition ever since
MonkeyLuv
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
Posted by Jmg11
Sorry if this is a repost - but I can't find a straight answer on the net.
It's mostly out of tradition. Popes have been doing it since 533 when a man named Mercurius was elected Pope. He thought it was disrespectful to have a pagan name (Mercurius, after the god Mercury) as pope. So he changed it to John II.
Many popes do it out of admiration for previous popes.
heidla
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
Interesting Marymoon!! I don't care for the name that this Pope picked. Benedict makes me think of Benedict Arnold. I think I'll just call him 'Benny' for short.
LauderLady
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
Posted by heidla
Interesting Marymoon!! I don't care for the name that this Pope picked. Benedict makes me think of Benedict Arnold. I think I'll just call him 'Benny' for short.
It makes me think the same thing!!! I think I shall call him Benny as well!!!!
Jmg11
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
Thank you for your quick and educational responses!
marymoon
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
ROFL...Benny! omg
In the play House of Blue Leaves (john Guare, I think) a major plot point is the Pope coming to NY, and it was Pope Paul the something or other, and one of the characters uses the same 'I love paul' butom from when the beatles came to town, That cracks me up so much
heidla
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
Posted by marymoon
ROFL...Benny! omg
In the play House of Blue Leaves (john Guare, I think) a major plot point is the Pope coming to NY, and it was Pope Paul the something or other, and one of the characters uses the same 'I love paul' butom from when the beatles came to town, That cracks me up so much
That is funny!!! Yes, it is Guare.
We should write a song 'Benny and the Cardinals'.
marymoon
Posted:
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Re: why does the pope change his name when elected?
Posted by heidla
Posted by marymoon
ROFL...Benny! omg
In the play House of Blue Leaves (john Guare, I think) a major plot point is the Pope coming to NY, and it was Pope Paul the something or other, and one of the characters uses the same 'I love paul' butom from when the beatles came to town, That cracks me up so much
That is funny!!! Yes, it is Guare.
We should write a song 'Benny and the Cardinals'.
You're so bad! BAD Heidi! Baaaad heidi! That would be so funny. I can just see the music video for it too...al the singing and dancing..we should really write a whole musical..I just want to see them all dance in their vestments
