The Life of Pope John Paul II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Karol Wojtyla

Karol Jozef Wojtyla (junior) was born May 18, 1920 to Karol Jozef Wojtyla (senior) and Emelia Kaczorowska. He was the youngest of three children. His mother died in 1929 and his father died in 1941 while young Karol was away from home. His father's death is believed to have been partially responsible for his choosing to enter the seminary.

Answer: tribute to Pope John Paul I

Popes are free to take a name of their choosing after being elected. John Paul I was the first pope to choose two names. He died only 33 days after being elected and the new Pope chose to pay tribute to him by continuing his name.

Answer: Wadowice

His home was only a few miles from the Auschwitz concentration camp. He paid many visits to Auschwitz, as well as many other former camps, to pay homage to those who perished there during the Holocaust.

Answer: had youngsters call him "Wujek" (uncle)

During the Stalin era in Poland priests were not permitted to travel with students. To disguise the fact that he was a priest he asked students to call him wujek while they were out together. The nickname stuck and to this day Poles refer to him by the sobriquet.

Answer: Cardinal

Franceso Forgione, better known as Padre Pio, was a Franciscan Capuchin friar who was a controversial priest and mystic. Wojtyla considered that reaching the office of Cardinal fulfilled the prediction. As Pope he canonized Pio as a saint in 2002.

Answer: October 16, 1978

1978 was a difficult year for the Roman Catholic Church. On August 6th, Pope Paul VI, who had been Pope for 15 years, died. His successor, John Paul I was elected on August 26th. He died 33 days later. John Paul II was elected on October 16th, on the third ballot, becoming the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years.

Answer: May 13, 1981

On Wednesday, May 13th, 1981, the Pope went out for his daily audience in St. Peter's Square. A gun was fired by Mehmet Ali Agca, hitting the Pope and sending him to the hospital. It took surgeons five and a half hours to repair the damage to his abdominal cavity, right arm and left hand.

Answer: a bullet used in his assassination attempt

John Paul II visited the apparition site of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal in 1982 and put the bullet in the crown of the statue. Ironically, the Pope was shot on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima. He believed she interceded to keep him from being killed and he stayed very devout to her afterwards.

Answer: popemobile

There have been several popemobiles over the years. In some, the pope can sit; in others he can stand. The purpose is to allow large crowds to see the pontiff. Popes used sedan chairs into the mid-20th century; since Pope Paul VI used a modified Lincoln Continental when visiting New York City automobiles have been used almost exclusively. Since the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II there has been a version with bulletproof glass.

Answer: April 2, 2005

In 2001, John Paul II was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In marked contrast to the healthy, outdoor lifestyle he had always exhibited, his health rapidly declined. In March, 2005, he developed septic shock and died from it and complications on April 2, at age 84.

Having been credited with performing two miracles he was eligible for sainthood and was canonized in April, 2014 by Pope Francis.