Where Is the Pope From? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Greece

Anacletus, or Cletus, (25-92) was the third Bishop of Rome, and Pope from about AD 80 to 92. He was a native of Athens, in what is now Greece. According to legend, he is said to have divided the city of Rome into 25 parishes. He was the author of several letters, including one concerning the arrangement of Italian bishops and archbishops. April 26 is a joint feast day for Anacletus and Pope Marcellinus.

Answer: Africa Proconsularis

The Roman province of Africa Proconsularis was roughly equivalent to modern-day Tunisia with parts of coastal Algeria and Libya. Victor (155-199) served as Pope during the last ten years of his life (189-199). The Quartodecimanist controversy occurred during his Papacy, which was a dispute between West and East over the proper date for celebration of Easter.

In addition he excommunicated Theodosius of Byzantium for teaching Jesus Christ was fully human.

Answer: Asia Minor

Originally from Ephesus in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), John VI (655-705) was elected Pope in 701. He supported the restoration of Bishop Wilfrid to the Diocese of York after he had been expelled from his realm. He was also able to convince Duke Gisulf of Benevento to return Papal territory he had taken. John ruled during the so-called Byzantine Papacy, when the election of the Pope required the approval of the Byzantine Emperor.

Answer: Syria

Constantine (664-715) was elected Pope in 708. He was preceded as Pope by his brother Sissinius. Both were natives of Syria. He had an usually strong identification with the Byzantine Empire for a Pope. He would visit Constantinople in 710-11 in order to work to avoid a rift over Roman acceptance of the Trullan Decrees. Constantine would be the last pope to visit Constantinople until Paul VI in 1967.

Answer: Germany

Born Bruno of Egisheim-Dagsburg (1002-1054), Leo IX was Pope from 1049 until his death. He was from the Duchy of Swabia in what is now Germany. As a result of actions of his Papacy, the Great Schism of 1054 occurred where the Western Christian and Eastern Christian churches formally separated.

He was a strong supporter of celibacy for clergy and a strong opponent of simony. He also spent time at the court of Conrad, Holy Roman Emperor.

Answer: France

Born Otho de Legery (c. 1042-1099), he was elected Urban II in 1088. He was a native of France, and may be best known for preaching the sermon which set off the First Crusade. Urban's call for a crusade came in response to a request for aid from the Byzantine Empire.

He was also a supporter of the Gregorian reforms of the Church, though he showed greater flexibility and tact than Pope Gregory had. Urban would receive beatification in 1881.

Answer: England

Born as Nicholas Breakspear (c. 1100-1159), he was elected Pope as Adrian IV in 1154. He was the first Pope to be from England. In 1158, he is said to have issued the Papal Bull Laudabiliter, which granted King Henry II of England the authority to invade and conquer Ireland.

He also attempted to achieve peace between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire. Adrian also made attempts to reform the Papal finances and embark on a program of building in Rome.

Answer: Portugal

Born Peter Julianai (c. 1215-1277), John XXI was from Portugal. He would serve as Pope for less than ten months (1276-1277) before his death. It is sometimes thought that he is the same person as Peter of Spain, a medieval physician. He attempted to organize a crusade for recovery of the Holy Land and to send a mission for the conversion of the Tatar peoples during his brief papacy. Both plans ultimately went unfulfilled.

Answer: Spain

Born Roderic Llançol i de Borja (1431-1503), Alexander VI was elected Pope in 1492. He was from the Kingdom of Aragon (now part of Spain). He was known for publicly acknowledging his several illegitimate children, including Cesare and Lucrezia. Alexander issued the Papal Bull which became the foundation of the Treaty of Tordesillas, diving the Americas between Spain and Portugal.

He was also known for his patronage of artists including Raphael and Michelangelo.

Answer: Netherlands

Born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens (1459-1523), Adrian VI was elected as Pope in 1522. From the city of Utrecht (now in the Netherlands), he was the last non-Italian Pope elected before the selection of Karol Wojtyla as John Paul II in 1978. He served as a tutor to the future Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, when he was a child. During his brief reign, he had to deal with the rise of Lutheranism. Though he did not wish to compromise theologically with Lutheranism, his attempts at reforming the Catholic Church were resisted by many of his contemporaries.