Greater Nashua

ROME (AP) — The first clue of the next pope's direction will be the name the winner chooses. The announcement "Habemus Papam" — "We have a pope" — from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica is followed first by the revelation of the new pontiff's baptismal name, in Latin, followed by his papal name, wrought with meaning. A Pope Francis II would signify continuity with the late pontiff's pastoral legacy and his prioritizing of the marginalized. Francis himself quipped that his successor would be John XXIV, after the progressive Vatican II-era pope. The most popular papal name of the 20th century, Pius, would be a clear signal that a traditionalist is taking back the throne of St. Peter. "In the deepest recesses of their mind, when they start the conclave, everyone will walk in there with a name in their head," said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of religious studies at ...