Why new pope will be named Leo XIV and what it tells us about his future plans

Earlier today, the new pope was confirmed as Robert Prevost in a historic moment which saw him become the first ever American to be named as head of the Catholic church.

Pope Leo XIV, as he will henceforth be known, was seen as something of an outsider to take over Pope Francis, after he passed away on Easter Monday aged 88.

However, the Chicago-born Cardinal established himself as a popular choice thanks to the missionary work he did in Peru, as well as clearly being a favourite of Pope Francis, given that he had appointed him in several different positions during his time as pope from 2013 to 2025.

And, after less than two days of voting in Vatican City, the white smoke from the Sistine Chapel was spotted, with Prevost emerging onto the balcony to introduce himself as the new pope around an hour later.

The new pope was confirmed on 8 May (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

His papal name was quickly confirmed as Pope Leo XIV, making him the 14th to take this name, and while you might think he's chosen it at random, history suggests that it was a deliberate choice and might just give us a clue into what we can expect from the 69-year-old in his new role.

The election was something of a surprise according to Catholic priest and blogger Ed Tomlinson, but he told The Independent that his choice of name suggests that we can see similar policies introduced by Pope Francis.

He said: “It seems likely to be a continuation of Francis’s liberalisation. The papal name Leo unsurprisingly shows a Pope who is going to be strong during a time of crisis, historically."

The last Leo was more than 100 years ago, with Pope Leo XII serving from 1878 until his death in 1903, so if being strong in a crisis was a reason behind the new pope's choice of name, he clearly thinks that things now are worse now than they have been in some time.

Pope Leo XIV greeted millions of people across the world from Vatican City (Marco Mantovani/Getty Images)

Prevost will be hoping to last longer than his namesake Pope Leo XI, who managed just a month after being elected in April 1605, dying before May had even arrived.

It also seems likely that those in contention to become the new pope have a name in mind well before it is officially confirmed.

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of religious studies at Manhattan College, noted: "In the deepest recesses of their mind, when they start the conclave, everyone will walk in there with a name in their head."

How Pope Leo XIV acts during his time as head of the Catholic church remains to be seen, but the 69-year-old has already made history in becoming the first American, and he will be hoping to steer the church through what is a difficult time across the world.