Mentioning a Pope in the Eucharistic Prayer
Date: May 18, 2025
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: Since the election of the new Pope, Leo XIV, there has been debates among some clergy whether during the Eucharist Prayer, where it is designated, the Pope can be mentioned with his number or not, that is, “Leo our Pope” or “Leo the Fourteenth our Pope.” Kindly guide on this and the authority that can be quoted on the same. — D.M., Malawi
Answer: We dealt with some related aspects to this question of naming bishops and Popes on July 7, 2020. In this article we pointed out that:
“In naming the pope it is customary to only mention the pope's name, leaving out the numeral and in naming bishops to omit honorific titles such as cardinal.”
Priests celebrating in Rome can say simply, "Leo our Pope," and omit any reference to the diocesan bishop. Some say, "Leo our Pope and Bishop," but this is not strictly necessary, since being Pope and being bishop of Rome are one and the same.
The reasoning behind this is that, although the numeral is necessary to distinguish a magisterial document of one Pope from another, in the liturgy, in which we are praying in communion in the here and now, there is only ever one reigning Pope at any time. It is true that during a period of history many Catholics, and even some canonized saints, were confused as to who the legitimate Pope was, but in fact there was only ever one legitimate Successor to Peter. Likewise, there is only one bishop as pastor of a diocese at any time. The heavenly Father does not need a numeral to remind him of who the Pope is.
Apart from the vacancy of the diocese, the name of a bishop is omitted if a priest celebrates while traveling by ship, plane or long-distance train.
This custom of naming the Pope is evident in manuscripts from Milan and Ravenna from at least the year 500 and quickly became a fixed rule. Slightly later, the name of the local bishop was added outside of Rome.
The importance of this act as a sign of ecclesial communion can be seen in the words Pope Pelagius I (556-561) to the bishops of Tuscany who had eliminated his name from the canon during a period of schism. He wrote:
“Quomodo vos ab universi orbis communione separatos esse non creditis si mei inter sacra mysteria, secundum consuetudinem nominis memoriam reticetis?” (How do you not believe that you are separated from communion with the whole world if you withhold the memory of my name among the sacred mysteries according to the custom?)
Until the Great Schism of 1054, the Pope’s name was even mentioned in the Byzantine liturgy at Constantinople, during the diptychs. In this liturgy the diptychs are lists of names of the living and the departed that are commemorated during the Divine Liturgy. The living being listed on one side, and the departed on the other. These names are read out, and the faithful pray for those listed, both living and deceased. Indeed, after the time of Emperor Justinian (reigned 527-565), the Pope’s name was read out first.
Finally, for those celebrating the Eucharistic Prayer in Latin the mention of the Pope would be in ablative: “una cum famulo tuo Papa nostro Leone.”
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