Quote:
Originally posted by texas*princess
i'm kinda confused... why can they only pick from those names? why can't they use their names given to them by their parents?
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From Mentalfloss.com's fact of the day-
They don't have to give up their birth name, but most of them do. The Pope is supposed to be a direct descendant of the apostle Peter, so most Popes take on another name to show that they are no longer a descendant of their parents, and that they are devoting their life to the church (so no worldly attachments).
