Election of the New Pope

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by ZTABullwinkle
From what my friend was telling me (she was raised as a STRICT Catholic)...Pope John Paul II chose his name since Pope John Paul I died only 31 days after being elected. So it was sort of in honor of Pope John Paul I.

That's correct, more or less. John Paul I chose the name to honor his two predecessors -- John XXIII and Paul VI -- and to show a desire to continue their work in Vatican II. John Paul II chose the name to honor John Paul I (who was only pope for a month -- perhaps JPII thought using the same name, which had been very favorably received, would make the sudden transition easier?) as well as John XXIII and Paul VI.

But according to many reports, John Paul II only chose that name after considering Stanislas, after the patron saint of Poland.