Newly elected popes are allowed to choose the name they will use during their papacy. In recent times, Karol became John Paul II, Joseph became Benedict XVI, and so forth. Unavoidably, the choice of names is scrutinized as a clue to the kind of papacy it will be. Almost 2,000 years of papal names provides a rich source of material.
Many would welcome a Pope Hilarius II (Hilarius I died in 468.)
Oddly, while history provides 23 Pope Johns, there has never been a Pope Matthew or Pope Luke, and only one Pope Mark (d. 337, after less than a year in office).
(Innocent, due to a series of medieval and Renaissance popes of that name with dubious reputations, is probably right out.)
Or, papal historian Anura Guruge says, a new pope could carry on under his own name, raising the possibility of a Pope Odilo I (or, if Quebec-based cardinal Marc Oullet was elected, Mark II).
“It is not mandatory that a pope changes his names,” he explains. “Totally optional.”
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