Holy Smoke Trivia Quiz

Answer: Paul III

Henry VIII had spent much time trying to persuade Clement VII to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, freeing him to marry Anne Boleyn. Clement had himself threatened excommunication, in 1533, but died in 1534 leaving the 'Henry problem' to his successor. Paul III, formerly Alessandro Farnese, remained in office until his death in 1549.

Answer: Linus

Linus is named in the New Testament, along with Saint Peter, the accepted first pope, and Clement I, who was the third, or possibly fourth, pope. Not much is known about Linus, with the Biblical reference being in the Second Epistle to Timothy, when he is mentioned as sending his greetings along with those of Paul, the apostle.

Not all sources are agreed on the order of the early popes, but Linus is widely listed as being the second.

Answer: Clement V

Pope Clement V was born with the name Raymond Bertrand de Got in Aquitaine, in the south west of France, so moving the seat of the papacy to Avignon brought him much nearer home than Rome had been. The Avignon Papacy lasted until 1376, with seven popes in all residing there - Gregory XI returned to Rome, leading to a period of uncertainty, with papal courts in both Avignon and Rome. Clement V was also involved in the dissolution of the Knights Templar.

Answer: Benedict XVI

Jospeh Ratzinger was born in Germany and was elected as successor to John Paul II in 2005. In 2013, nearing his eighty-sixth birthday, he stated that he no longer had the physical or mental strength to continue in office. The most recent resignation of a pope prior to this came in 1415 when Gregory XII stepped down to heal the divisions between Rome and Avignon. Two earlier resignations took place in the eleventh century during a period of scandal and debauchery.

Answer: Adrian IV

Nicholas Breakspear (there are other spellings of the surname) came from Hertfordshire in England, and moved to France for his education while still relatively young. He established himself at St Rufus Monastery, not far from Avignon, although it was not at that time the seat of the papacy. Breakspear caught the eye of Pope Eugene III who sent him to Scandinavia to re-organise the church, a task which he carried out successfully.

When Eugene died, Breakspear became his successor, taking the name Adrian IV.

Answer: Pius XII

Pius XII was born in Rome as Eugenio Pacelli and worked with his predecessor, Pius XI. He had spent many years in Germany and was viewed, probably unfairly, as being sympathetic to Hitler. The pope himself described his policies as 'impartial, rather than neutral' and there is evidence that he passed on intelligence to the Allies and saved some Jews from the Nazis. Pius XII is still seen by some as an appeaser rather than a diplomat who pressed for peace rather than war. Note - the Encyclopaedia Britannica was used as the source for this brief summary.

Answer: Julius II

By all accounts, Julius II was more of a soldier than a theologian, and his papal name was taken in honour of Julius Caesar. On becoming pope he had to neutralise the threat from Cesare Borgia, son of Roderigo (Alexander VI) and from France, who had taken control of important areas such as Florence.

Although he is remembered for his patronage of the arts, and engaging the leading artists of the day to decorate the apartments in which he lived, the money to pay for it was raised by the sale of indulgences.

These practices, which were commonplace at the time, set in motion the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.

Answer: Urban II

Born with the name Odo, in France, Urban II became pope in 1088. He was the prime mover in the 'Holy War' against the Muslims which became known as the First Crusade - the Christians captured Jerusalem in 1099. The pope's speech, part of which promised salvation to those who died in battle, at the Council of Clermont in 1095 set the Crusades in motion. Urban II died in 1099, and is credited with carrying out many reforms.

He was beatified in 1881.

Answer: John Paul I

Albino Luciano was the final Italian born pope of the twentieth century. He was elected as successor to Paul VI in August 1978 but died, from a heart attack, shortly afterwards aged sixty-five. He was succeeded by the Polish born Karol Wojtyła as John Paul II who became, by contrast one of the longer serving popes.

The tenure of John Paul I was short, but not the shortest on record - Urban VII lasted only thirteen days in 1590 before succumbing to malaria and there are several others on the list whose term of office was measured in days.

Answer: Alexander VI

Roderic de Borja was born in Valencia, now part of Spain, in 1431 - the name of Roderigo Borgia by which he became known is the Italian version of his name. To modern eyes, he is a controversial figure known for ignoring his vows of celibacy by fathering numerous children, including Lucrezia and Cesare.

His behaviour in enriching himself and his family, and lack of attention to the spiritual values of the Church are far from the standards now expected from the leader of the Catholic Church but were not unusual for the times in which he lived. Alexander VI died in 1503 and was succeeded by Pius III who died less than a month after becoming Pope.