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What name will the new pope use? Here's why pontiffs change their names and what they mean.

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Summary
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88% Informative

There are no written rules or official criteria for a pope's name, but they choose names that have meaning in Catholic tradition.

Pope Francis chose a papal name that hadn't been chosen by a pope before.

The name the new pope chooses will "indicate a certain spirit and direction and vision," expert says.

Not every pope in history has changed his name.

VR Score

95

Informative language

97

Neutral language

79

Article tone

semi-formal

Language

English

Language complexity

42

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

medium-lived

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