Who Were the "Great" Popes – and Why?By Fr. William SaundersSince the death of our beloved Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2005, many have been hailing him as "John Paul the Great." Three Popes have had "the Great" appended to their names: Pope St. Leo I (reigned 440–61), Pope St. Gregory I (590–604), and Pope St. Nicholas I (858–67). But the Church has never officially pronounced these Popes as "great"; rather, they have been identified as great both by popular acclamation at the time of their deaths and by history itself. Shield of GodPope St. Leo the Great...