A Chosen Name, A Destined Path

Photo and edit by TM Gabriel

On Thursday, 8 May 2025, Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago became the 267th Bishop of Rome a.k.a. Pope. In keeping with tradition -- but important to note not doctrine, he chose a new name: Leo XIV.

For the next couple of weeks, the world will continue to reference Leo XIV alongside his baptismal name in order to provide context and history. Very soon, this will fade. The world will know, accept, and use the Pope's chosen name. Even those of us who aren't Catholic will do the same. Non-Catholics, agnostics, and atheists alike, we will say "Leo XIV" when referencing the Pope.

Why?

Perhaps an amorphous sense of tradition or trained sense of respect. With no religious strictures of our own underpinning the decision, we don't really need to. But for whatever reason -- and for most, without really understanding or agreeing with Catholicism, we will, without the slightest hesitation, use Pope Leo XIV to refer to the former Cardinal Prevost.

A Brief History

Pontiffs did not begin taking other names until Pope John II, baptismal name Mercurius - a full 500 years after Saint Peter (formerly Simon, which Jesus changed prior to Peter's ascension to head his church). Believing the head of Christ's church shouldn't be named after a pagan god, Mercurius began a now 1,400-year-old tradition.

Yet, the tradition wasn't strictly adhered to. Pope Adrian VI (1522 - 1523) and Pope Marcellus II (1555) each retained their baptismal names. Though notably short papacies and together less than 1% of pontiffs, they still provide an example. An example any other Pope could follow.

A short browse of Vatican News or Catholic.com will reveal that no official criteria or doctrine exist on changing or choosing a name. (Though for what should be obvious reasons, none have chosen the name Peter.)

Side Note: The reason Mercurius chose John II was out of respect for Pope John I, baptismal name John, who died a martyr in 526.

The Same Results

Stick with me on this one, the point will become clear.

While any modern pontiff would shrink at calling their election 'destined', this is more an act of humility than a theological accuracy. Most Christians would prefer the term 'pre-ordained', but that's a matter of semantics given Christian belief.

Regardless of the very human process of electing the Pope, the decision is purportedly reached through the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. To parse a long theological discussion down to Christian basics:

• God is all knowing, omnipotent, and omnipresent

• Whatever happens in an earthly life, God wills or allows

• The Holy Spirit is the part of God that directly intercedes with the world as God

• When the Holy Spirit intercedes, this is an act of God's will being carried out

Under the basic tenets of Christianity, Leo XIV's ascension to the papacy is not only ordained, but pre-ordained, by God. By becoming Pope, Leo XIV is not simply accepting an election like a common politician, he's coming into the fullness of what God always intended.

In short, destiny.

What's in A Name?

In the grand scheme, names provide a symbol of who we are to the world. They mark family lineages, milestones, and turning points in any life. The changing from a baptismal name for a Pope just happens to play out on a larger scale under greater scrutiny.

The Pope's chosen name is a personal signal of a new beginning, a bookmark dividing who they once were from who they are now. And, if following Christian doctrine, who they were always intended to be.

To purposefully stop this line of thinking at the papacy is not only disingenuous but hypocritical. In this regard, what is true about the Pope is true for everyone.

For whatever reasons people choose to change their names, the one thing held in common is the symbology of what that name means to them and as a reflection about themselves to the greater world.

Most don't bat an eye at a name change due to marriage or divorce. We don't care that many individuals from Asian countries pick 'Western' names to go by if living in this part of the world. Most would agree with someone changing their name due to a close relation to a notorious criminal. Many probably give silent applause to someone who changes their name due their original's oddity. (If X Æ A-Xii Musk decided to change their name one day... would any of us question the decision?)

And yet... some people go into hair-on-fire hysterics when an individual changes their name to match their gender identity.

Again, to purposefully draw a line in the sand of calling someone by their chosen name due to gender identity is both disingenuous and hypocritical if one accepts name changes in pretty much every other case.

To The Heart

For clarity's sake, I do understand the why for some families' resistance to name changes where gender identity is involved.

For some, it's the self-perceived loss of someone they've always known for someone else. But here's the thing: the person stating their name is now Jasmine not James is the true version of the person a family thought they knew. 'James' was the family's perception of Jasmine based on what the family always thought to be true, NOT on who Jasmine perceived themself to be.

For others, the problem is less about loss and more about the assumption that if they accept Jasmine in place of James, they somehow become party to or guilty of a sin - as if accepting someone for who they are is akin to being an accessory to murder. Again, this isn't a theological conundrum. A mere Sunday School-understanding of Jesus's teachings (not Moses, not Isaiah, not Peter, Paul, or Mary... sorry couldn't resist) shows this assumption doesn't hold water.

For some it's the self-perceived oddity, due to ignorance, of someone whose gender identity doesn't match their chromosomal sex. Ignorance can be educated, if the ignorant party is willing to learn.

Though this old saying is often used negatively, it can be used positively in cases like this:

When someone tells you who they are, believe them.

Cardinal Prevost has told the world he is now Pope Leo XIV. And we accept this. Trinity Thompson married last week and became Trinity Hines. We accept this. Gregory Smallwood dealt with severe bullying during his adolescence and changed his name to Gregory Jones -- his grandmother's maiden name, and we accept this. (If you don't get that last one, just think about it for a few minutes or ask the nearest guy.)

We already accept chosen names in a dozen forms. Accepting a chosen name due to gender identity should be no different. After all, it is what Jesus would do.