Favorite Papal Names

Have you ever wondered what you would choose as a name for the next Pope? Not that you wish you were the person elected to be the head of the Church, but that you wish you could choose his name. Right now, the following are my favorite names of past Popes. (I chose them based solely on their name and not their papacy!) I also include possible future names. See if you can see which ones are actually from the past.

1. Anastasius -
(Very Italian. Not to be confused with anti-pasta, which is also very Italian.)

2. Felix IV -
(But only the IVth. If it were any other Felix, then no.)

3. Marcellus -
(that is a serious name. I mean you hear that name and it means biz-ness.)

4. Innocent XIII -
("Hey, hey, I didn't do it! 13 times I have had to tell you I didn't do it!)

5. Stephen -
(Solely so the pope could shout out to the crowd "Steeeeeee-vvv-eeeeennnn is my name!")

6. James -
(Hey, it's about time we had a James in that chair.)

7. Anton -
(In high school, my locker was next to a guy named Anton. He got a 1600 on the SAT and a 36 on the ACT. He is pretty smart. Right now he works for NASA and develops new technology for rocket fuel propulsion in outer space. His title on his business card literally reads "Rocket Scientist." He is also very Catholic. He would be a good Pope.)

8. Sean -
(Sean is Gaelic for John. It is about time we had an Irish Pope. Of course he would play Our Lady of Knock after Mass at St. Peter's--that is such a good song!)