Popes sometimes choose the name of a recent predecessor out of respect or to indicate a desire to continue in their footsteps, the Vatican said. Others pick a name that isn’t linked to any recent predecessors in order to show their desire to innovate. 

 The choice often reflects attributes they hope to embody in their papacy. 

The name a new pope chooses will “indicate a certain spirit and direction and vision of the new pope,” said Dennis Doyle, a theologian and professor emeritus of religious studies at the University of Dayton. 

Pope Francis, for example, was the first pope in history to take that name, a nod to St. Francis of Assisi. In Catholic tradition, St. Francis of Assisi had a mystical vision of Jesus, who told him to rebuild his church. He also renounced his wealth and founded the Franciscan order of friars in 1290.