How does the pope get his name???…?
No Pope is obligated to change his name. This is a pious tradition (not Sacred Tradition). The practice arose when a pagan convert to Christianity became Pope and changed his name from Mercury (after the pagan Roman god) to John II in 533 C.E. Until then, the Popes kept their original names, from Peter (#1) to Boniface II (#55). Between John II (#56) and Sergius IV (#142) in 1009 C.E. only a few Popes changed their names. But since Sergius IV, it has been common practice for all Popes to change their name when elected pontiff except Adrian VI and Marcellus II. Pope Benedict XVI chose the name Benedict for several reasons. At his papal audience on April 27, 2005, he explained his motivations for adopting the name. “I want to call myself Benedict XVI to bind myself to the venerated Pope Benedict XV, who guided the church in a troubled period because of the First World War. He was a courageous and authentic prophet of peace and worked with valiant courage first to prevent the drama of war
