John Paul II was the second pope to ever choose two names, following his predecessor. The reason for doing this was to both honor John Paul I and to indicate that he would not be making any major policy shifts. Wojtyla was also the first non-Italian to be chosen for this office in over 400 years (the previous was Hadrian VI in 1563, a Dutchman), and reports indicate that the election of a non-Italian pope may have been pushed by the growing influence of Catholics from outside of Europe. Read Article: Pope John Paul II Biography