He felt it was inappropriate to be named after the pagan Roman god Mercury and decided to take the name John II after his predecessor John I, who was venerated as a martyr. The last pope to use ...

Pope Leo XIV carries on his pectoral cross a relic of an Augustinian martyr bishop, Anselmo Polanco, who was executed during ...

If Leo proves a non-starter for the new bishop of Rome, the next most recent papal name is Clement ... martyr of Rome — who inspired an antipope of that name but not an actual pope.

Pope Pius VI. Picture: Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images Pope Clement XIV. Picture: Icas94/De Agostini via Getty Images Facing pressure by the royal courts of Portugal, France and Spain, he ...

First Pope to Take a Different Name When Mercurius was elected bishop of Rome in 532, he faced an immediate problem. While there has been a third-century Christian martyr with the same name ...