Pope Quiz

Question: How many popes are known as “the Great”?

Answer: Popes St. Leo I, St. Gregory I, St. Nicholas I, and St. John Paul II are all traditionally known as “the Great.”

Question: A new pope cannot be elected while the former pope is still alive.

Answer: Benedict XVI resigned in 2013 and was still alive when his successor, Pope Francis, was elected.

Question: The pope must be fluent in Latin and Italian.

Answer: Latin is the official language of the church, and, because the Pope is the bishop of Rome, he must also speak Italian.

Question: How many popes took the name Urban?

Answer: Eight popes took the name Urban, following the example of St. Urban I, who was pope from 222 to 230.

Question: Pope Francis is the first pope to take the name Francis.

Answer: Pope Francis assumed his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.

Question: A pope is selected by ___.

Answer: One of the duties of the Sacred College of Cardinals is to elect the pope.

Question: Who was the oldest person to be elected pope?

Answer: He was nearly 80 when he became pontiff in 1679.

Question: Who was pope when Martin Luther wrote his Ninety-five Theses?

Answer: Leo X was pope when Martin Luther wrote the Ninety-five Theses in 1517, and he excommunicated Luther in 1521.

Question: A person must be at least 21 years old to qualify for election as pope.

Answer: Three popes were under age 21 at the time of their election. Pope John XII was 18, Pope John XI was 20, and Pope Benedict IX is thought to have been between 11 and 20 when he became pope.

Question: Who was the first pope?

Answer: Roman Catholic tradition holds that Christ established St. Peter as the first pope of his church.