Dem don elect Cardinal Robert Prevost as di new pope and e go dey known as Pope Leo XIV.
Di 69-year-old na di first American to become pontiff and e go lead members of di Catholic Church global community of 1.4bn pipo.
Born in Chicago, many pipo see am reformer. E work for many years as missionary for Peru bifor dem make am archbishop for there.
E also get Peruvian nationality and pipo remember am well as one pesin wey work wit marginalised communities and help build bridges for di local Church.
Why popes dey choose different names?
Di first tin new Pope dey do, immediately afta e accept im canonical election as Supreme Pontiff and bifor e begin do oda things, na to choose a name. Afta e choose di name e wan dey known as, di Cardinal Protodeacon go announce di name afta di famous formula “Habemus Papam”, e go dey followed by di Pope baptismal name for Latin.
Di decision na part of one longstanding tradition, but no be so e be bifor.
For more dan 500 years, popes bin dey use dia own names.
E later change to to symbolic names in order to make dia original names dey simple or to refer to previous pontiffs.
Ova di years, popes don choose di names of dia immediate or distant predecessors out of respect or admiration and to signal di desire to follow for dia footsteps and continue di most relevant pontificates.
For example, Pope Francis tok say im name na to honour St Francis of Assisi, plus say im dey inspired by im Brazilian friend Cardinal Claudio Hummes.
Why di new Pope choose Leo XIV as a name?
Di new Pope neva tok why e wan dey known as Pope Leo XIV.
Many reasons fit dey for dis decision, but many popes don use di name Leo ova di years.
However, di name a new pope choose dey “show certain spirit and direction and vision of di new pope, “Dennis Doyle, one theologian and professor emeritus of religious studies for di University of Dayton tok.
“Di first tin you go look for go be, which pope don use dat name bifor?” e tok.” Dat go signify sometin about di direction wey di new pope wan take.”
Dem don chose di name Leo 13 times bifor.
Di first Pope Leo I, wey also dey known as St Leo di Great, na pontiff between 440 and 461 AD.
E be di 45th pope in history and e dey known for im commitment to peace.
According to legend, di miraculous apparition of Saints Peter and Paul during di meeting between Pope Leo I and Attila di king of di Huns for 452 AD make di king stop to dey attack Italy.
Who be Leo XIII?
Di last pope to choose di name Leo na Pope Leo XIII, one Italian wey im baptismal name na Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci.
Dem elect am for 1878, e be di 256th occupant of di throne of St Peter and e lead di Catholic Church until im death for 1903.
E dey remembered as a pope wey dey dedicated to social policies and social justice.
E dey particularly known for issuing encyclical – one letter e send to bishops of di Church – called “Rerum Novarum”, one Latin expression wey mean “Of New Things”.
Di encyclical bin include topics like workers’ rights and social justice.
Wetin be di most popular papal names?
Leo dey among some of di most popular papal names.
Di one wey dem use di most na John, dem first choose am for 523 by Saint John I, Pope and martyr.
Di last pope wey choose dis name na Italian Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, e dey elected as Pope John XXIII for 1958, wey Pope Francis declare as saint for 2014.
King Leo XIII dey known for im dedication to social justice