Chicago, USA - By choosing Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany may be sending a message to fellow Europeans.
The new pontiff's namesake - St. Benedict - is the patron saint of Europe. And his nominal predecessor, Pope Benedict XV, was an Italian nobleman who led the Catholic Church during World War I and long urged peaceful unity throughout the continent.
Though the Vatican has offered no official explanation about the name choice, experts say it's unlikely Ratzinger made a hasty or uneducated decision. As a favorite going into the conclave, he most assuredly had given the name some thought.
"It could be an indication he is concerned that Christianity is disappearing in Europe," said the Rev. Philip Timko, a religious studies professor at Benedictine University in Lisle.
Ratzinger has campaigned against the secularization of Europe, a topic cardinals previously hinted would be a leading issue in the conclave. He implored the European Union last year to mention the continent's European roots in its constitution, but the request was firmly rejected.
"There are major pastoral problems all over the world, but the cardinals obviously are saying they're concerned about Europe," said Timko, a Catholic priest whose order follows the Rule of St. Benedict.
Ratzinger's election comes as the Church grapples with anemic Mass attendance across Europe. In Italy, less than half of baptized Catholics go to weekly services.
In Spain, the number has dropped to 30 percent in recent years, while only 12 percent of Catholics in France attend Mass each week.
Roughly 45 percent of American Catholics practice regularly, a rate that bests all European countries except Poland and Ireland.
"It's a completely secular attitude in Europe," Timko said.
Benedict XV, who served from 1914 to 1922, attempted to emphasize Europe's Christian roots during his papacy. Though his efforts to broker peace during World War I largely failed, he helped with prisoner exchanges and urged charity for battle-scarred children.
During his papacy, he canonized three saints. All three were European, including Joan of Arc, who later became the patron saint of France.
Like 15 popes before him, Ratzinger chose a name that also pays homage to St. Benedict, a Roman noble who established monasteries across Europe. For more than six centuries, the Christian culture in Europe reflected the monastic values established by the pious hermit during the 6th century.
Currently, 8,000 monks worldwide follow the Rule of St. Benedict, including the nearly 50 men who live at St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle. Many of the abbey's priests also teach at nearby Benet Academy and Benedictine University.