The College of Cardinals gathered in Rome this month to select the 267th pope, which it did relatively early — on the fourth round of voting.
Bishop Robert Prevost was selected as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and is the first U.S.-born pontiff, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
With that in mind two of our selections for most notable popes were Leos, I and the XIII, the first and the last prior to the current pontiff.
St. Peter (30-64):
Peter is regarded as the church's first pope, appointed by Jesus, according to Matthew: 16:18, where Jesus tells Simon, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, (which means rock) and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (King James Version)
By those words Jesus not only appointed Simon Peter, one of his 12 Apostles, as the church's first leader, but also began the tradition of popes replacing their given name with a papal name. Together with James the Just and John the Apostle, Peter was one of the three Pillars of the Church.
Peter was executed in Rome by crucifixion during the reign of Emperor Nero. He was crucified upside down
Pope Leo I (440–461):
Leo was born in Tuscany to aristocracy and is best known for having met with Attila the Hun, the world's most ruthless warlord of that time. He was able to persuade Attila to turn his army around and avoid invading Italy.
Leo is also known for his theological writings and sermons that shaped early Christian doctrine, in particular the “Tome of Leo.” This was a foundational document that defined the two natures of Christ as both a human and a divine being within one person.
After his death, he was canonized as St. Leo the Great.
Pope Urban II (1088-1099):
Urban was a French native and, like Leo I, was descended from nobility. But he's best known for setting off a series of battles known as the Crusades.
In a speech at the Council of Clermont, Urban called upon Christians throughout Europe to defend their brethren in the Holy Land, which had been invaded by Islamic Turks who barred Christians from entering Jerusalem.
The first Crusade was launched in 1095, and dozens more followed for nearly two centuries, until 1291.
Pope Julius II (1503-1513):
Known as the “Warrior Pope,” historians have speculated that Julius II may have chosen his papal name not to honor Julius I, but rather Julius Caesar.
Also called the “Battle Pope” and the “Fearsome Pope,” Julius II led a successful campaign in Romagna to free the Papal States there from local lords.
However, Julius II's cultural impression was more enduring. He served in the midst of the Renaissance, and as a patron of the arts, he commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, established the Vatican Museums, and initiated the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica.
He also formed the Swiss Guards for his personal protection, which serve to the present day and are noted for their colorful uniforms of the era.
Pope Pius IX (1846-1878):
Serving for nearly 32 years, Pius IX was the longest-reigning elected pope and the second-longest serving overall after Peter the Apostle.
He's known for establishing the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, which asserts that, "from the first moment of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of Mankind, kept free from all stain of original sin.” The dogma ended a century-old disagreement between Dominicans and Franciscans.
Pius IX also convened the First Vatican Council in 1868, which addressed the church's response to to a rise in liberal philosophical thought and established the doctrine of papal infallibility — that popes are infallible when speaking ex cathedra (from the chair) on matters of faith.
Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903):
Leo XIII was known as an intellectual and, like Pius IX, he defined the position of the Catholic Church in the face of modern, liberal thought. He also fought for the fundamental rights of humankind.
In his encyclical Rerum Novarum of 1891, Pope Leo argued for a middle ground between socialism and unrestricted laissez-faire capitalism, condemning them both. On the one hand, he believed workers were entitled to a fair wage, safe working conditions, and the right to form trade unions, while on the other he affirmed the right to property and free enterprise.
If the new Pope Leo XIV sought inspiration from his papal name, Leo I and XIII should serve him well.
Pope John XXIII (1958-1963):
When John XXIII was elected pope on the 12th ballot at age 76, he was thought to be a transitional pontiff due to his age, and although his papacy was short-lived, he ushered in an age of major renewal and reform.
Upon assuming the throne “Good Pope John” called for a general meeting of the bishops of the church, an ecumenical council known as the Second Vatican Council, or “Vatican II.” It was the first such council in nearly a century, convened to “bring the church up to date” and to work for its spiritual regeneration.
He didn't live to see Vatican II to its conclusion, but it ushered in sweeping changes to modernize the church, including celebrating mass in a country's native language rather than the traditional liturgical Latin.
Pope John Paul II (1978-2005):
When recalling the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, three names should come to mind: U.S. President Ronald Reagan, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II.
John Paul was the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years, and as a native of Poland, he had strong views on the loss of fundamental human rights created by Communist rule. He traveled extensively and spoke eight languages, visiting 120 countries, and met with world leaders to oppose Soviet oppression.
He also promoted interfaith dialogue with the world's great religions, and was the first pope to visit a synagogue, a Protestant church and a mosque, and publicly apologized for the Church's past abuses, namely the Crusades and the Inquisition.
He was perhaps the most beloved of modern-day popes, and upon his death, 2 million people filled St. Peter's Square for his funeral, and on April 27, 2014 the church canonized him as a saint.