Why new Pope chose name Leo: Priest’s explanation

"It's also symbolic. Leo is the Lion, it represents strength," the priest explained.

He also added that the name refers to prominent Popes such as Leo the Great, who strengthened the Church, and Leo XIII, who worked actively on the Church’s social teachings during a time of revolutionary change.

"In the history of the Church, there was Pope Leo the Great, who really made the Church very strong. And directly before him, there was Leo XIII, who was Pope at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. This Pope focused a lot on social teachings. This was a time of socialism, communism, anarchism, which later led to the revolution in Russia and so on. And the Pope, on behalf of the church, tried to give a Christian answer to the problems of the world," the priest said.

In his opinion, the new pontiff, by choosing this name, aimed to reference these figures in the history of the Church.

New Pope

Today, the conclave of cardinals elected American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. His papal name will be Leo XIV, and he will be the first American Pope in history.

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, USA. He is an American-Peruvian curial cardinal and an Augustinian. He served as the General Superior of the Augustinian Order from September 14, 2001, to September 4, 2013. In 2023, Pope Francis made him a cardinal.

The new pontiff has already addressed the faithful, wishing them peace and urging all people to show love and "build bridges."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already congratulated the new Pope. He wished him wisdom, inspiration, and both spiritual and physical strength in fulfilling his high mission.

Read more about the new Pope in the material by RBC-Ukraine.