Why not Pope Cecil I? 
Too linked to two of the most influential orders ever, including the one that’s been disbanded twice. Francis Xavier and Francis Borgia were both Jesuits.
Jesus, no way - Hispanics would just go “uh” but others would completely freak out.
Nuh-uh. Everytime I said my name, people would think I was the pope.
The novel The Vicar Of Christ had the pope(an American, BTW) choosing that name. Very good book, except the poor guy was assasinated at the end
An interesting prophecy. If we hold to it, there is one pope between JPII and the Peter the Roman; the prophesy describes him as Gloria Olivae, or the Glory of Olives. The Order of St. Benedict is also known as the Olivetans, so a pope chosen from their order would fit the prophecy.
Just for the woo-woo factor, I nominate Benedict XVI.
It won’t be Sixtus, because the next one would be Sixtus VI and that just sounds funny.
And I believe in Italian that would be “Sixto Sexto”.
In my experience in a Catholic funeral this morning, I felt that the church has such a lack of emotional resonance, that it has very little spiritual impact, and is hardly uplifting at all. This has been my assessment of Catholicism as long as I’ve been alive.
So for this reason, I hope that those wishing for a more politically insignificant name do not get their wish, because I would like to see the power and mystery returned to the Church. That more than anything would be good for society, and more important than political motivations IMO.
Erek
So what, IYO, would be an appropriate name, one evocative of “power and mystery”?
He can’t be Pope John Paul II II; we Anglicans already have a retired Archbishop of Johannesburg named Desmond II II. 
As for the three-in-a-row bit, Popes Piux X, XI, and XII were in sequence, IIRC. For him to choose Leo XIV would indicate an inclination to emulate Leo XIII, who was like the recent late Pope a man of mixed accomplishments, but that choice would definitely serve as a slap in the face to Anglican relations.
I’m curious what Morris West book this Pope Marx I was in; in The Shoes of the Fisherman, the Russian Cardinal who was elected used his birth name, Kiril (Cyril to us Westerners).
Nitpick: According to this list of popes – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes – for the first five centuries of the papacy, the pope’s reign-name was always the same as his personal name. John II (Mercurius) was the first pope to take a new name upon his election, in 533 A.D.; and, with one exception, no pope followed his example until John XIV (Pietro Campanora, elected 983). After that, a different reign-name caught on as the norm.
If you haven’t caught the news yet, the pope just died. RIP JPII.
“Skippy”.
Yes.
“Skippy I”.
That should de very nicely.
I think the name chosen will reflect greatly on the new pope’s intentions.
If, for example, he agrees with JPII on no married clergy, no female clergy, no gay marriages, etc., he’ll pick JPIII.
If he’s going to be more “radical,” he’ll pick a different name. Maybe something that hasn’t been used before. But I do expect the name to make a statement.
Pius has had a checkered recent past.
Pius IX reigned for a long time (31 years), but lost the Papal lands and had a tumultuous reign.
But Pius X became a saint.
Pius XI got to see the world plunge into an economic depression.
Pius XII had a lot of problems and history has not been kind to him. I think the name has been retired.
Interestingly, I believe the practice for referring to a pope who became a saint, is Pope Saint (Name).
Sorry Polycarp, Benedict XV fell between Pius X and Pius XI. I’ve been looking over the list of Popes since my friend made that comment and I honestly don’t see more than two in a row with the same name. Of course, as I said that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It’s just kind of interesting.
If a pope chooses a name with a high roman numeral – one that’s been used by a lot of popes before – then he’s not necessarily tied to honoring/emulating/inviting comparisons with the most recent pope of that name, is he? It could be in honor of any one of them.
I understand that one of the front runners is a Nigerian cardinal. If he is elected, I hope he takes the name Pope Leroy, if only to see the expression on Pat Buchanan’s face.
Onarope I
I remember an episode of Crusade, a spin-off/sequel series to Babylon 5. You can just catch a glimpse of a broadcast from Vatican City, where the Pope was leading a procession in St. Peter’s Square. Just a little figure in white, couldn’t see the face. Name of the Pope? Bernadette II !!
But seriously, Innocent might not be so far off the mark, as a possible choice. Innocent III was one of the “greats”, concerned with church influence and power.