Popes' Birth Names Trivia Quiz

Answer: Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto

Pope St. Pius X held the position from August 4, 1903-August 20, 1914. Sarto was born in what is now Italy in 1835. He was baptized in the Catholic Church and went on to serve as an altar boy and studied Latin as he grew up. He was ordained a priest in 1858. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII appointed him bishop of Mantua. Although he was a good student, Sarto did not have a doctorate, but all popes that followed in the 20th century until Francis did have a doctorate. Pope Leo XIII appointed him cardinal of Venice in 1893, an appointment that was formalized in 1894.

Pope Leo XIII died on July 20, 1893. The conclave of cardinals met to elect his successor. At that point, Sarto indicated that he was not interested in becoming pope. He was in the running with two other men, but at first was not favoured by the other cardinals. However, over the next few days, after a number of votes, his name was approved as the next pope.

Pope Pius X was known for his conservative theology and his love of children. It has been reported that he carried candies for street urchins that he handed out when he walked. He is also known for a declaration about dancing that he made in 1913. He declared that tango dancing was immoral and off-limits to Catholics.

Pope Pius X had a heart attack in 1913, but survived in poor health until he died on August 20, 1914. The beatification process for Pope Pius X started immediately after his death, but may have been slowed by the World Wars. Two miracles were attributed to him, and his beatification took place in 1951. Two further miracles were attributed to him, and he was canonized in 1954. He was the first pope since 1712 to be declared a saint.

Answer: Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa

Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa was born in November 1854 in Pegli, an area west of Genoa. He followed Pope St. Pius X to become Pope Benedict XV. He held the position from September 3, 1914-January 22, 1922. He was only 59 years of age when he was elected pope at the beginning of WWI. Throughout his papacy, he promoted efforts for peace between nations, as well as humanitarian efforts. He was often involved in attending to the wounded, ensuring that food reached the needy in Europe, and promoting exchanges between countries for prisoners of war.

Pope Benedict XV presented the "Code of Canon Law" for promulgation, or for it to become legal in the Catholic Church. The Code had been developed by the pope-to-be Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) and Cardinal Pietro Gasparri during the pontificate of Pope Pius X. The "Code of Cannon Law" outlined church laws, procedures, and crimes and punishment. The 1917 Code was never translated from its original Latin. Pope Benedict XV had a lasting effect with his promulgation of this code because it served as the guiding document for the Catholic Church until the 1983 Code of Canon Law took legal effect in November, 1983.

Following WWI, Pope Benedict XV worked to restore Catholic missions around the world that had been damaged during the war. He worked to overcome poverty and famine in Europe that had been caused by the war. He did not support the League of Nations because it was not created using Christian values. He also did not support the Communist Revolution in Russia due to the anti-Christian approaches by Lenin. When the Ottoman Empire was coming to an end, Pope Benedict XV expressed concerns for Catholics in the Holy Land. During his time as pope, he canonized three saints, including Joan of Arc.

In early January, 1922, Pope Benedict came down with a cold that turned into pneumonia. His illness progressed to the point that he was delirious and unable to get out of bed. He was given the Extreme Unction, or anointing of the sick on January 21, 1922. He was granted absolution by Cardinal Giorgi in the early hours of January 22, 1922, and was pronounced dead at 6:00 am. Pope Benedict was not canonized after death.

Answer: Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti

Pope Pius XI was the third pope to begin in the twentieth century. He held the position from February 6, 1922-February 10, 1939. He was born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti in Desio, in the province of Milan, Italy, in 1857. He became a priest in 1879, then obtained three doctoral degrees. His areas of speciality included philosophy, canon law and theology while he was studying for his degrees. He combined these areas of knowledge to become a paleographer, or one who examined ancient and Medieval manuscripts of the Church.

Ratti became the chief librarian at the Ambrosian Library in Milan in 1907. He worked there until Pope Pius X invited him to become Vice-Prefect of the Vatican Library in 1911. In 1914, he became the Prefect of the Vatican Library. During this time, he was very athletic. In particular, he became a mountain climber. He climbed to the tops of Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and Presolana. There are some peaks in the Alps named after him because he was the first to climb them.

In 1918, Pope Benedict XV appointed Ratti to an unofficial post in Poland. This was just after WWI, so his role there was to help the Polish people maintain a peaceful existence in their country that was still controlled by the Germans and the Austro-Hungarians. Ratti eventually left Poland as a result of the political unrest in the country in the post-war years.

Shortly after he left Poland in 1921, Ratti was appointed cardinal and Archbishop of Milan by Pope Benedict XV. Unfortunately, Pope Benedict XV died suddenly on January 22, 1922. The conclave of cardinals elected Ratti as the next pope on their fourteenth ballot on February 6, 1922. This was the longest conclave of the 20th century. Ratti chose the name Pius XI to honour Pope Pius IX who had been the pope when he was young, and Pope Pius X who had asked that he work in the Vatican library.

Pope Pius XI was a serious man who was concerned about communism, racism, and anti-semitism in the years between the First and Second World Wars. Under his direction, the Vatican was recognized as an independent state within Italy. This meant that Pope Pius XI became the first head-of-state of Vatican City, which was, at that time, the smallest state in the world.

Pius XI worked to support the church and repel racism and anti-semitism in countries around the world leading up to WWII. His efforts at world peace extended to many countries from Italy and Germany to Brazil, Mexico, China, Japan, Austria, and the United States, mainly through his vocal and written support of the Vatican's effort in those areas, and the appointment of special envoys to some countries. Unfortunately, he suffered two heart attacks on November 22, 1938. He developed severe breathing difficulties, and passed away of a third heart attack on February 10, 1939. He was not made a saint after his death.

Answer: Eugenio Maria Giovanni Pacelli

Eugenio Maria Giovanni Pacelli was born in Rome in March, 1876. His family held strong ties to the Catholic Church and to the Vatican. His grandfather had worked in the Vatican and had assisted in the founding of the Vatican newspaper. His cousin was a financial advisor to Pope Leo XIII, and his brother was a lawyer and a legal advisor to Pope Pius XI. In 1899, Eugenio Maria Giovanni Pacelli completed a doctoral degree in Sacred Theology.

Eugenio Maria Giovanni Pacelli was ordained in April, 1899. He then started post-graduate work in canon law. He started working at the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, a sub-office of the Vatican Secretariat of State. This office is similar to a Foreign Office in most governments. In this role, he undertook many duties including sending official condolences upon the death of Queen Victoria, meeting Winston Churchill at the International Eucharistic Congress, and attending the coronation of King George V. During WWI, Pacelli kept the Vatican's list of prisoners of war.

In 1917, Eugenio Maria Giovanni Pacelli was consecrated as an archbishop. He was appointed as an ambassador to Germany upon his consecration. There, he worked with governing bodies in an attempt to end the war. He also supported Allied prisoners of war, and, after the war, he worked to enhance relations between the Catholic Church and the Soviet Union. He was asked to return to Rome in December, 1929.

Eugenio Maria Giovanni Pacelli was made a Cardinal in December, 1929, and the Cardinal Secretary of State in February, 1930. This made him responsible for intergovernmental relations with countries around the world. In 1935, he was appointed the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, a position that had him supervising the property and revenues of the Vatican. Throughout the 1930s, Pacelli worked with nations around the world to assist with treaties, and to avoid tensions that were growing in Europe.

When Pope Pius XI died on February 10, 1939, the cardinals came together in a conclave to choose the next pope. Some historians believe that Pacelli was chosen as the next pope because of his diplomatic experience with Germany and other countries around the world. He chose the name Pius XII to honour his immediate predecessor when he was elected pope on March 2, 1939.

During WWII, Pius XII insisted that the Vatican remain neutral despite expressing concern about the war. Pius XII set up an information office at the Vatican that provided knowledge about prisoners of war and refugees. While the office operated, from 1939 to 1947, it received 9,891,497 requests for information and gave 11,293,511 statements about missing persons.

There has been some opposition to Pius XII becoming a saint, but his beatification process was started soon after his death. There are a number of steps leading to sainthood, including being declared a servant of God and venerable. He was declared a servant of God in 1990, and venerable in 2009. Jewish groups have opposed his canonization due to his record during the holocaust. Many Jewish scholars suggest that Pius XII should not be made a saint due to his lack of action against the Nazis during WWII. There has also not been a confirmed miracle attributed to Pius XII. In 2013, Pope Francis apparently considered him for sainthood without a miracle, but declared in May, 2014 that the research into Pius XII's eligibility for sainthood had stalled, so he would not be beatified after all.

Answer: Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli

Pope John XXIII held the position from October 28, 1958-June 3, 1963. He was born in 1881 as Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in Lombardi in northern Italy. In 1904, he finished his doctorate in canon law and was ordained a priest. During WWI, he was drafted into the Royal Italian Army where he served as chaplain, and in the medical corps.

During his career as a priest, bishop, and archbishop, Roncalli served in Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece. During WWII while he served as the papal ambassador, he intervened on behalf of many Jews living in Europe at the time. This included, but is not limited to assisting with immigration to Palestine, issuing baptismal certificates, helping children leave Slovakia, and intervening on behalf of Jews who were being held in a variety of concentration camps to ensure that they were not deported to Nazi death camps. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) is a non-governmental organization that is responsible for researching those who assisted Jews during the Holocaust, and advocating for their recognition. In 2011, the IRWF submitted a well-researched report, along with a petition to have Roncalli honoured with the Righteous Among the Nations title. That is an honourific title that is given to non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from being killed by the Nazis.

In 1952, Roncalli was promoted to Cardinal, and was appointed the appointed Patriarch of Venice in January, 1953. When Pope Pius XII passed away in 1958, Roncalli was elected as pope on the eleventh ballot. He chose the name John XXIII despite the fact that there were issues with a previous John XXIII. The previous John XIII is known as an antipope who reigned in 1400s during a schism in the church. He is known as an antipope because he opposed Pope Gregory XII whom the Catholic Church now recognizes as the proper pope during the schism. Despite some initial confusion, when Roncalli was elected, he declared that he would be John XXIII, overriding the numbering of the 15th century.

During his time as pope, John XXIII visited Roman prisons, he engaged with Eastern Orthodox churches, removed the word "perfidius" which is Latin for "faithless" in his public prayers when referring to Jewish people, initiated the Second Vatican Council, and offered to mediate between Kennedy and Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In late September, 1962, Pope John XXIII was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He did not publicly reveal the diagnosis, but did reduce the number of his engagements. He experienced severe pain and hemorrhaging over the next few years, sometimes needing blood transfusions. The cancer ended up perforating his stomach wall, which caused peritonitis. He died on June 3, 1963.

Pope John XXIII was known as "the good pope". He was known around the world as a peacemaker and a supporter of human rights. To recognize this, US President Lyndon B. Johnson posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in December, 1963. This medal is the highest civilian honour available in the US. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000 when a healing miracle was attributed to him. In order to be canonized, two miracles are typically needed. However, in the case of Pope John XXIII, Pope Francis approved him for canonization without the second miracle due to his honourable lifestyle, and because of the good that came from the Second Vatican Council that he opened. He was made a saint on April 27, 2014.

Answer: Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini

Pope Paul VI followed Pope John XXIII. He held the position from June 21, 1963-August 6, 1978. His birth name was Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini. Montini was born in Lombardy, Italy in 1897. He entered a seminary in 1916, and was ordained as a Catholic priest in May, 1920. At that point, he studied for his doctorate in canon law. In 1922, he began working at the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. There, he helped to found a publishing house that was aimed at promoting Christian values. As a result of his work, he never had an appointment as a parish priest.

Montini worked at the Vatican in a number of roles from 1925 onward. During WWII, he coordinated the Catholic relief efforts for those who were persecuted and hidden in Catholic convents, parishes, seminaries, and schools. He was also involved in helping Allied soldiers who had escaped from Axis prison camps, Jews, anti-Fascists, and many others negatively affected by the war. After Rome was liberated, he assisted German soldiers, partisans, displaced persons and others with protection and support programs set up by the Catholic Church.

In 1954, Montini was appointed as the Archbishop of Milan. Pope John XXIII then appointed him as a Cardinal in December, 1958. When Pope John XXIII died in 1963, Montini was elected pope on the sixth ballade of the papal conclave on June 21, 1963. He took the name Paul in honour of the apostle Paul, and became Pope Paul VI.

Some things that Pope Paul VI are known for include the completion of the Second Vatican Council that had been started by his predecessor Pope John XIII, implementing a number of reforms as a result of the Second Vatican Council, improving relations with Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches, being the first pope to fly on an airplane, being the first pope to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and being the first pope to leave Italy in over 100 years.

Pope Paul VI died following a massive heart attack on August 6, 1978. In December, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI gave Pope Paul VI the title of Venerable when he stated that the late pontiff had "lived a life of heroic virtue". In October, 2014, after a miracle was attributed to Pope Paul VI, Pope Francis beatified Pope Paul VI. Then, after a second miracle was attributed to him, Pope Francis canonized Paul VI on October 14, 2018.

Answer: Albino Luciani

Pope John Paul I had a very short time as pope. He held the position from August 26, 1978-September 28, 1978. He was born Albino Luciani in northern Italy on October 17, 1912. He was the first pope in the twentieth century to be born in the twentieth century. He is known as "The Smiling Pope" or "The Smile of God" because he was typically seen smiling at those around him. Given that he only remained pope for about one month, 1978 is known as a year of three popes. The last year of three popes before him occurred in 1605.

Luciani I was ordained a priest in 1935. He started teaching at the Belluno seminary in 1937 where he taught dogmatic and moral theology, canon law and sacred art. While he was teaching at the seminary, he started to work on his doctorate, which he earned in 1947. In 1958, Pope John XXIII appointed him Bishop of Vittorio Veneto. He then participated in the Second Vatican Council from 1962 through 1965. Then, in March 1973, Pope Paul VI elevated him to the position of cardinal. While he was a bishop and a cardinal, he advocated for those less-fortunate. For example, when he was a cardinal, he sold a gold cross and a gold chain that Pope John XXIII had given to him (that had belonged to Pope Pius XII before him) to raise money for the poor. He encouraged other priests to do the same.

After Pope Paul VI died in August, 1978, the cardinals met in their conclave to elect a new pope. Luciani was elected on the fourth ballot. He chose the name John Paul I in honour of his two immediate predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Pope John XXIII. This was the first time in history that a pope had chosen two names. Also unusual was the fact that he used the number "I" in his name, thus essentially naming himself "John Paul the First".

On September 29, 1978, Pope John Paul I was found dead in his bed in the morning with his reading material and a lamp turned on. That date would have been the 35th day of his papacy. It was determined that he had died of a heart attack after he went to bed on September 28th. In 2017, Pope Francis declared Pope John Paul I venerable because he had lived a life of heroic virtue. This is the first stage of sainthood. Beatification can occur when one miracle is attributed to a person. This occurred in September, 2022 when Pope Francis recognized a miracle that was attributed to Pope John Paul I. As of 2023 when this quiz was written, a second miracle has not been attributed to Pope John Paul I, so he has not yet been canonized.

Answer: Karol Józef Wojtyła

Pope John Paul II immediately followed Pope John Paul I in the role. He held the position from October 16, 1978-April 2, 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope to serve as head of the Catholic Church since Pope Adrian VI (aka Pope Hadrian VI) from the Netherlands, who served in the position from January 9, 1522-September 14, 1523.

Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II was born in Poland in 1920. In 1938, he attended the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland where he studied a number of subjects. He also learned fourteen languages beyond his native Polish, including Latin, Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Luxembourgish, Dutch, Ukrainian, Serbo-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, and Esperanto. In 1939, the university was closed by the invading Nazi forces. He was forced to go to work at that time. He suffered two injuries during the time that he worked, including a fractured skull, and a badly injured shoulder that resulted in his chronic stoop.

While WWII raged in Poland, Wojtyla studied at a secret seminary that was run by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha. While the Nazis occupied his home country, Wojtyla had many close calls as he hid from them and assisted Polish Jews to escape and/or hide.

After his studies at the seminary in Poland, Wojtyla was ordained on November 1, 1946. He then went to Rome to study for his doctorate at the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He defended his doctoral thesis in June, 1948. At that point, he was transferred to the parish of Saint Florian in Kraków in 1949. He taught ethics at the local universities, and gathered a group of young people for philosophical discussions, community service, and hiking, camping, skiing, and canoeing trips. In 1954, he earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Faculty of Theology at the Jagiellonian University.

In 1958, Wojtyla was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Kraków by Pope Pius XII. This meant that at the age of 38, he was the youngest bishop in Poland. The Archbishop of Kraków died in 1962, at which time Wojtyla was appointed temporary Archbishop. As a result, he took part in the Second Vatican Council and the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops. In January 1964, Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Kraków. In June, 1967, Wojtyła was promoted to the College of Cardinals by Pope Paul VI. When Pope John Paul I passed away shortly after he was elected to the position, the next conclave of cardinals elected Wojtyła to became pope. He was the 264th pope according to the chronological list of popes that is kept by the Catholic Church. He was also the first pope who was born outside of Italy in over 450 years. He was only 58 years old when he was elected, which meant that he was also the youngest pope of the twentieth century.

During his papacy, John Paul II travelled to over 120 nations, with his trips taking him over more than 1,100,000 kilometres (680,000 mi). He pioneered World Youth Days, and aimed to get along with other religions around the world. He survived two assassination attempts. In 2001 he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, but that diagnosis was not revealed to the public until 2003. He also had a hearing impairment, and severe osteoarthrosis. He rarely walked when he went anywhere, but instead rode in what was termed the "Pope-Mobile", a bullet-proof cart made of clear glass that he was able to use for transport while still greeting his followers.

On March 31, 2005, Pope John Paul II developed septic shock as a result of a severe urinary tract infection. He passed away from this illness on April 2, 2005. Shortly after his death, the process to canonize him was begun. Two miracles were attributed to him, and he was canonized with John XXIII on April 27, 2014 by Pope Francis.

Answer: Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger

Pope Benedict XVI followed Pope John Paul II in the role. He held the position from April 19, 2005 until he resigned on February 28, 2013. He was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on April 16, 1927 in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany. Growing up during the war, he was a faithful Catholic who apparently knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a cardinal. However, he was conscripted into the Hitler Youth program at the age of fourteen years. His brother reported in an Associated Press article in 2005 that he did not support Hitler or this program and often failed to attend meetings. In 1943, he trained as a German soldier. As American troops drew closer in 1945, he abandoned his post, but was then placed in a US prisoner of war camp from which he was released in June, 1945.

Following the war, Ratzinger and his brother both studied to become priests. They were both ordained on June 29, 1951. He went on to complete his doctoral dissertation and he became a professor at Freising College in 1958. He went on to become a professor at the University of Bonn in 1959 and at the University of Münster in 1963. He participated in the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), and then became the chairperson in dogmatic theology at the University of Tübingen in 1966. In 1969, Ratzinger moved back to Bavaria to an academic post at the University of Regensburg.

In March, 1977, Ratzinger was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising, then in June of that year was named a cardinal by Pope Paul VI, both despite his lack of experience as a pastor in a church. In 2005, before he became pope, he was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by "Time" magazine. This decision was made due, in part, because he was seen as "the Vatican's intellectual powerhouse", and because he had reached "back to older traditions and helped resuscitate them".

In April, 2005 when Pope John Paul II passed away, Ratzinger was elected as pope on the second day of the cardinal's conclave after four ballots. Despite hoping to retire at that point, he accepted the appointment and chose the name Benedict XVI in honour of both Benedict XV (pope from September 3, 1914-January 22, 1922) and Benedict of Nursia (founder of the Benedictine monasteries).

In February, 2013, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI would be resigning his position due to age-related issues. He was almost 86 years old when he retired. He was the first pope since Pope Gregory XII (1415) to retire from the papacy. He chose the title "Pope Emeritus", and remained living in a monastery in Vatican City where he devoted his life to prayer and writing. In September, 2020, Pope Benedict became the longest-lived pope when he turned 93 years, 4 months, 16 days (Pope Leo XIII, pope from 1878-1903, had held the previous record). He passed away at the age of 95 on December 31, 2022.

Answer: Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Pope Francis was elected to the position on March 13, 2013. He was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He attended a technical secondary school, then worked as a chemical technician in a food laboratory, as a bouncer in a bar, and as a janitor. When he was 21 years of age, he had a severe case of pneumonia, as well as three cysts that led to part of one lung being removed.

In 1955, Bergoglio entered the archdiocesan seminary, Inmaculada Concepción Seminary to study to become a Jesuit priest. He entered the Society of Jesus as a novice on 11 March 1958. After his training as a novice, he officially became a Jesuit in March, 1960. From there, he received a licentiate (a degree similar to a Master's degree) in philosophy from the Colegio Mįximo de San José. He then taught psychology and literature at a local high school and a local college.

In 1967, Bergoglio started his theology degree in theological studies at Facultades de Filosofķa y Teologķa de San Miguel. In 1969, he was ordained to the priesthood. He worked in various capacities in the church until he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992. Then, in February 1998, he became the archbishop of Buenos Aires. In February, 2001, Archbishop Bergoglio was promoted to cardinal by Pope John Paul II. He received the title of "cardinal priest of San Roberto Bellarmino", which was a church served by Jesuits and named after one.

When Pope John Paul II died in April, 2005, Bergoglio attended his funeral and the conclave of cardinals that chose Benedict XVI as the next pope. Then, when Benedict XVI resigned, he was elected as pope to begin his term on March 13, 2013. When he was elected, he was the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the southern hemisphere, the first pope from the Americas, and the first non-European pope since Gregory III from Syria, who served as pope from March 18, 731-November 28, 741. Bergoglio chose the name Francis in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi because he was "especially concerned for the well-being of the poor". When he chose his name, the Vatican confirmed that there would be no regnal number associated with it. That is, despite being the first pope to choose this name, he would be known as "Pope Francis" and not "Pope Francis I".