# How quickly does the new Pope have to decide on a papal name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107 "2013-02-22T20:30:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/1 "2013-02-22T20:30:46Z")
They get elected, they get taken to the balcony, the crowd cheers, they get announced as Pope Whatsisname XIV - so how much time do they have to decide? do papabile go into conclave with little cheat sheets of the papal names? Was Cardinal Luciani actually just thinking out loud: “John? Paul?”, wondering which one was better, and the other cardinals looked at each other and said, “Hey, unusual, but good to go, John Paul I! Gotta get to the balcony!” So how does it work? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/2 "2013-02-22T21:00:23Z")
Like little girls who doodle their own first name attached to the surname of the cute little boy in the desk next to them, I imagine little priests everywhere doodling into their notebooks “Pope Henry I 4-ever!” or “Pope Sylvester III rulz Rome!” So you better believe when they get that call from the Vatican, they’re ready to roll! Actually, I would imagine any of the Cardinals who is included on a short list of potential popes might be thinking about a name already. Because once the conclave makes its decision, the Dean of the College of Cardinals asks the newly-elected pope if he accepts and then asks what he will be called. I don’t think they’re given much time to mull it over before the announcement from the balcony happens. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/3 "2013-02-22T21:18:08Z")
I believe it is immediately. The new Pope is asked if he accepts and if so, then what his regnal name would be. I suspect most people would have a name they would go with even if surprised with, “Oh by the way you’re the new Pope.”. For example, if sober (and Catholic which I am not) I would pick Leo XIV, not because of the movie _Saving Grace_ I never saw but because I admire Pope Leo XIII. If drunk I would be Pope Cadwallader because why the fuck not. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/4 "2013-02-22T21:40:21Z")
Well, as the new Pope, he can take all the time he wants. He don’t have to do anything he don’t want to do. He’s the friggin’ Pope. Which means that, theoretically, it could be days before he’s announced while he makes up his mind, or, just use his given name reserving the choice of a new name until later. Or, just use his given name (which I personally hope a new Pope will do and stop this nonsense of ‘the umpteenth’ which is way too monarchical in usage and way too coy in attempting to signal the kind of Pope he’ll be). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/5 "2013-02-22T21:46:43Z")
Can a new Pope be taken home from the Vatican without a name? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/6 "2013-02-22T22:06:27Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Well, as the new Pope, he can take all the time he wants. He don’t have to do anything he don’t want to do. He’s the friggin’ Pope. > > Which means that, theoretically, it could be days before he’s announced while he makes up his mind, or, just use his given name reserving the choice of a new name until later. Or, just use his given name (which I personally hope a new Pope will do and stop this nonsense of ‘the umpteenth’ which is way too monarchical in usage and way too coy in attempting to signal the kind of Pope he’ll be). I don’t think any of this is true at all. Got a cite? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/7 "2013-02-22T22:12:50Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > I don’t think any of this is true at all. Got a cite? [Papal infallibility - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility) or [Papal supremacy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_supremacy). ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/8 "2013-02-22T22:16:29Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > I don’t think any of this is true at all. Got a cite? Is it citeable? He’s the Pope. He’s the boss, the big guy in the hat, the man who makes tradition (and breaks it) all the time. He can do all sorts of things. (And, yeah, there are all sorts of things he can’t do.) If he said, formally, “I will need time to decide,” what do you figure they’d do to him? Impeach him? No, they’d grumble a bit and say, “Take what time you need.” I notice in the list of Popes a couple who have “Blessed” in their names. Blessed Innocent XI and Blessed Pius IX. Was that an honor granted to them later, or did they actually choose that as part of their name? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/9 "2013-02-22T22:17:17Z")
> [@](#): > > "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered. > **[Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM)** That should pretty much clear it up… ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/10 "2013-02-22T22:26:28Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Is it citeable? He’s the Pope. He’s the boss, the big guy in the hat, the man who makes tradition (and breaks it) all the time. He can do all sorts of things. (And, yeah, there are all sorts of things he can’t do.) If he said, formally, “I will need time to decide,” what do you figure they’d do to him? Impeach him? No, they’d grumble a bit and say, “Take what time you need.” > > I notice in the list of Popes a couple who have “Blessed” in their names. Blessed Innocent XI and Blessed Pius IX. Was that an honor granted to them later, or did they actually choose that as part of their name? Blessed means they’ve been beatified. It’s a step toward becoming a saint. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/11 "2013-02-22T22:27:33Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > [Papal infallibility - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility) or [Papal supremacy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_supremacy). > [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > [http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/\_\_P2A.HTM](http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM) > > That should pretty much clear it up… I think the fly in the ointment would be - what is the exact moment when a new pope takes office? As soon as he gets the required percentage of the votes, or when he accepts and takes on a regnal name? If the latter, then he might not be considered to have taken office until then. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/12 "2013-02-22T22:55:59Z")
Would there be a big scandal if the next pope decided to call himself Peter II? Does anyone in the higher ranks of the church take the Prophecy of the Popes seriously, or is it more of a thing for conspiracy theorists? Presumably most popes choose their names by the type of Papacy they want to run. Choosing Peter would at the very least send a very strange message to the world, so I very much doubt it would happen. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/13 "2013-02-22T23:11:27Z")
Usually, they choose a name to honor a pope they admire. I’m sure they secretly have something in the back of their mind, though it’s clear that John Paul II couldn’t have thought of using that until a month before he was elected. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/14 "2013-02-22T23:58:40Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Which means that, theoretically, it could be days before he’s announced while he makes up his mind, or, just use his given name reserving the choice of a new name until later. Or, just use his given name (which I personally hope a new Pope will do and stop this nonsense of ‘the umpteenth’ which is way too monarchical in usage and way too coy in attempting to signal the kind of Pope he’ll be). But the pope _is_ a monarch. That’s what the papacy is. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/15 "2013-02-23T00:02:47Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > But the pope _is_ a monarch. That’s what the papacy is. The modern-day successors of the Roman emperors. This may be a naive question, but I am not a Catholic and so really don’t know. Could the pope just use his real name? Is there some rule that he _has_ to make up a papal moniker? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/16 "2013-02-23T00:05:45Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > But the pope _is_ a monarch. That’s what the papacy is. Don’t they check to see that he has two? ETA: I wrote that in jest before remembering that there was a time the candidate was, er, checked for completeness. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/17 "2013-02-23T00:07:45Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The modern-day successors of the Roman emperors. > > This may be a naive question, but I am not a Catholic and so really don’t know. Could the pope just use his real name? Is there some rule that he _has_ to make up a papal moniker? Nope, just tradition. The last Pope to go by his own name was back in the 1500s (Marcellus II). ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/18 "2013-02-23T00:09:23Z")
They used to use their birth names. Didn’t Cecil do a column on this? It seems reasonable enough to just keep one’s birth name. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/19 "2013-02-23T00:11:18Z")
Isn’t the pope pretty much an absolute monarch? Couldn’t he (in theory) execute the person who asked him to pick a name? And go out on the balcony - yell “suck it bitches” and still be pope? Seems like how long he has is just a tradition - that he can choose to change anytime. Of course any deviance he takes from tradition will effect how effective he is as a ruler - so I wouldn’t recommend he do any of the above… ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107/20 "2013-02-23T00:25:12Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > Would there be a big scandal if the next pope decided to call himself Peter II? Does anyone in the higher ranks of the church take the Prophecy of the Popes seriously, or is it more of a thing for conspiracy theorists? One of the current likely candidates for Pope\* is actually named Peter! So he would also go back to the original pattern of keeping their given names as Popes. - Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana. Would also be the first black Pope in some 1500 years. Alas, he’s just as sexist, homophobic, pedophile-excusing, & conservative as Benedict XVI. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-does-the-new-pope-have-to-decide-on-a-papal-name/651107.md?page=2)