The new Pope

[Artful]

What's the new Pope called in English (serious question so remain polite please!!!)? In France he is known as Beno�t XVI, his name in Italian is Benedetto, but in English?

[galltin]

Benedict 16th.

[Artful]

Thankyou, galltin.

[Quizmonkey]

Given his politics, probably Adolf I

[Artful]

Aha, Quizmonkey, that's something else altogether - and thinking about it, maybe it's his middle name. They haven't told us.

[graemer]

How come someone called Cardinal Rapsinger didn't call himself Pope Eminem?

[galltin]

Benedict is not his real name. That's Joseph.

[Artful]

No, I know that his 'real' name is Joseph Ratzinger although I find Rapsinger amusing as a paper headline I saw on the box where they talk about the Papa Ratzi!

[wellhungjock]

pope bernardo 16th

[Artful]

Sorry, wellhungjock, but it isn't Bernardo - I checked and galltin was right first time. It's Benedict - makes one think of where the expression Gordon Bennett comes from in a way, doesn't it?

[JohnPPotts]

That sets me wondering why in English we don't translate his name - Benedict is the Latin for Blessed, so why don't we know him (and the previous 15 Popes of that name) as Blessed? It's not like other countries (eg. the French, as Artful quotes) don't "naturalise" the Pope's name.