How Much Can We Achieve? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leo I

Leo I served as Pope from 440-461. These were turbulent times for the failing Western Roman Empire; remember that by 476 AD it will be fallen, with the last Western emperor, Romulus Augustus, being forced to leave Rome by the German leader Odoacer. Pope Leo was confronted with two major challenges during his rule, with the second taking place in 452.

Attila the Hun was on a rampage. His attempted invasion of Gaul was not successful, but he had been successfully pillaging cities like Milan in northern Italy. As he turned his attention toward Rome, the city's leaders were in a panic. Their army, small and weak, was already struggling to maintain the empire's borders, and Attila's army was well known for its mounted archers and ability to successfully carry out raids.

At the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (451) the Romans had defeated Attila with the help of their allies, but the loss wasn't enough to make Attila take his army home, and the raiding continued. What was there to do? Well, Pope Leo took several members of the clergy and copies of holy scriptures with him to a spot near Mantua to meet Attila. The Pope's entourage marched toward him, chanting and sprinkling holy water on their path. Attila listened to what Leo had to say; there is not a definitive text on the conversation, but Paul the Deacon recorded that Leo said, "The Senate and the people of Rome, once conquerors of the world, now conquered, come before thee as suppliants. We pray for mercy."

Some accounts claim that Attila had a vision of St. Peter and St. Paul who were brandishing swords and threatening him should he decide to attack Rome, which is seen in the cover picture. Whatever was said, the result was nothing short of miraculous. Attila was running out of supplies, disease was taking a toll on his army, and the Eastern Emperor was said to be coming to Rome with his army. None of these things seemed to matter until he had an audience with the Pope. He took his army and left.

While it must be noted that Pope Leo's talk with the Vandal leader Genseric in 455 didn't have the same affect, he did convince Genseric to show mercy to those who did not fight back and to not purposefully set buildings on fire. Although the Vandals looted the city for two weeks, it is said that Pope Leo's intervention here did keep the destruction somewhat limited.

Answer: Leo I

Very little is known about Pope Leo's early life. It is believed that he was born to a family of aristocrats in Tuscany, Italy, and his birth name was Leo. He was serving in the Church as an archdeacon when he was sent to Gaul to help settle a dispute among Roman leaders there. While on that mission, his predecessor, Sixtus III died, and Leo was unanimously elected as the next Bishop of Rome.

As Christianity spread after Christ's death, it became apparent that some organization in the early Church was needed. It should be no surprise that the new Church was organized much like the Roman Empire, in a hierarchy of regions and officials. The largest region of organization was known as diocese, and the person in charge of each diocese was a bishop. By the 200s AD there were four bishops - in Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople - who were considered equals.

Over time the Bishop of Rome's power grew, and he was considered to be the most important bishop within the organization of the Roman Catholic Church, with Rome being the most important diocese. It is difficult to tell when the title pope, derived from the Greek "páppas", or father, was first used as it was a common practice for all the bishops to use it; the first recorded instance for the Bishop of Rome taking the title dates to Pope Marcellinus, who held the position from 296-304.

The apostle Peter is recognized as being the first Bishop of Rome, and since his death there have been 265 more (as of 2025). In Catholic tradition, Christ left the leadership of the Church to him, and subsequent Popes have been regarded as successors to St. Peter. In all of these years, only three Popes have been called "the Great" - Gregory I, Nicholas I, and Leo I, who is credited with saving the city of Rome and resolving a huge theological issue that may have saved the Church.

Answer: Leo I

The first major challenge during Leo's tenure as Pope, called the Monophysite Controversy, was a threat to the very belief held by Christians - that is, was Christ human or was he God? If Christ was God then he could not possible understand what humans go through; if he was human, then he could not save mankind.

In 451 Emperor Marcian asked that Pope Leo settle the controversy, which he did by writing an opinion which is called "Leo's Tome". In it, Leo stated that because Christ was God, he could be both man and God at the same time. As such, he could both save and mankind and identify with humans.

While this did not end the discussion, as questions and sometimes heretical views continued to arise for centuries, for the time being the problem was solved. The reign of Pope Leo I had an impact on the history of the Church for years to come.

Answer: Leo I

The title Doctor of the Church really originated during the early Middle Ages as Father of the Church, and was given to four people who were thought to have made a significant contribution to Catholic theology or doctrine - Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome. By 1298, Pope Boniface VIII declared them Doctors of the Church. A title also used by the Eastern Church, in 1568 Pope Pius V recognized John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Athanasius of Alexandria as part of the group.

In 1764 Pope Leo I was chosen to join the group based on the importance of "Leo's Tome", which settled the controversy regarding the nature of Christ. In 451 the contents of his tome were discussed and debated at the Council of Chalcedon. Leo's opinion of the Hypostatic Union of Christ - that he was both God and man - ended several heretical movements within the early Christian Church, and the acceptance of his opinion at the Council of Chalcedon, which led to the Chalcedon Definition, helped to further establish the Pope's authority as leader of the Catholic Church.

Although it must be noted that the number of Doctors can change at any time, in order to illustrate that very few people are given this honor, by 2025 the Catholic Church had named just 37; twenty-eight were from the Western Church and 9 from the Eastern Church. Only four of the thirty-seven were women.

Answer: Leo IX

Born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg in what is Alsace, France, today, Pope Leo IX was from a wealthy powerful family. He was sent to the best schools for noble boys, and when Conrad II, his father's first cousin, became Holy Roman Emperor, he was sent to his court to serve in his chapel. From there he became a deacon and was chosen as Bishop of Toul when the previous one died. Bruno began to gain a reputation as a person who could not only fight when necessary, but also make peace.

Leo IX served as Pope from 1049-1054. During this time he gained quite a reputation for his personal attendance at meetings away from Rome that were held to discuss Church issues and doctrines. Often dressed as a simple pilgrim, he confronted both leaders of the clergy and state face to face, which helped to strengthen the power and authority of the Papacy.

Answer: Leo IX

The two most important reform issues pressed by Pope Leo IX were centered around the topics of celibacy and simony. Members of the clergy were expected to take a vow of celibacy, and Pope Leo believed that it was absolutely necessary in order to ensure that they had adequate time to be totally devoted to their duties to God. Some members of the clergy had even gone so far as to marry, and he strictly forbade this and encouraged parishioners to avoid attending Masses that were spoken by married priests.

Simony had been practiced for centuries within the Catholic Church. Named for Simon Maagus, who is mentioned in Act 8:18, it is the buying or selling of something spiritual. Maegus was tempted to buy spiritual gifts after witnessing a laying of the hands by Peter and John; he wanted to be able to do the same thing. Although he was completely rebuked by Peter, the practice became so prevalent that it was one of the main topics addressed in the Council of Chalcedon in 451. After that, simony became a very widespread practice, and the situation, which bred corruption within the Church, was tackled by Pope Leo, who would remove people from office who had paid for their positions and replace them with people who were qualified.

Answer: Leo IX

Actually, throughout the history of the Church, many Easter Synods have been held. Typically it is a gathering of bishops and other church officials that meet to discuss Church issues. Easter is believed to be an especially important event on the Church calendar, and synods were originally held during this time to agree on a date when the resurrection of Christ should be celebrated by all Christians. For example, the Synod of Whitby, held in 664, established the use of the Roman calendar to calculate the correct date of Easter. As time passed, however, other issues were also discuss during the synods.

Leo IX presided over two Easter Synods during his brief tenure as Pope. The first, held in Rome in 1049, was held in order for Leo to push for reforms that have already been discussed here. The meeting was used as a public forum to push for his beliefs and renew Church policies regarding simony and the celibacy of the priesthood.

The second Easter Synod was held the following year in Rome. The teachings of Berengar of Tours were the main topic on its agenda. He was in direct opposition to the Church teaching called transubstantiation, the belief that the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist actually become Christ's body after they are consecrated. He believed the bread and wine were more a symbol and remained what they were after consecration. At this synod, Pope Leo excommunicated Berengar, who continued to write and speak about transubstantiation until his death in 1088.

By the way, Pope Leo I also held an Easter Synod in 449 to discuss the supposed heresy of Eutyches regarding the nature of Christ.

Answer: Leo IX

While some may not see this as a positive to Leo's tenure as Pope, it was a difficult situation that had really had its roots in Diocletian's division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern parts in 286 AD, each with its own emperor; this division had become permanent by 395 AD.

It set the stage for political differences and rivalries, and differences in cultures, as the division had been made between the Latin culture of the West and the Greek and Middle Eastern cultures of the East. The division also fostered religious differences as doctrines and practices emerged. When the Western Empire fell, the Eastern, or Byzantine Empire, remained for almost another thousand years; the center of the Western Church remained mostly in Rome during this time, and the Eastern Church began to disagree with the authority that had been given to the Bishop of Rome. Its preference was to be led by its own bishop, known as the Patriarch of Constantinople.

In addition, there were differences of opinions as to the use of icons, religious images, in the Church. After concerns in the Eastern Church that people were actually worshiping icons, Pope Leo III had issued an edict in 725 stating that icons had to be removed from public places and places of worship; the edict caused rioting in the Eastern Empire, and the Pope was forced to walk his opinion back a bit. Tensions still remained.

Throughout the history of the early Church, whenever a disagreement regarding ideology and doctrine arose, the Bishop of Rome would hold a meeting and a consensus would be declared. The Eastern Church strongly disagreed with a change regarding the wording of the Nicene Creed in 325. In the 6th century the Filioque clause, "from the Son" was added by the Western Church in order to emphasize that the Holy Spirit comes from both the Father and Son; the Eastern Church believed this changed the focus on all three entities of the Trinity being equal. They really never accepted the change.

So, all of these grievances came to a head in 1054 when the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, sent a letter to the Pope complaining about the Western Church's fasting days and use of unleavened bread; Pope Leo returned a communication that outlined the reasons he thought Cerularius was incorrect. Cardinal Humbert, Pope Leo's papal envoy, was sent to rectify the problem, but instead excommunicated Cerularius. Cerularius then excommunicated Cardinal Humbert. There were those on both sides who sought a reconciliation, and it might have worked if Pope Leo hadn't died. Technically there was no Pope when Humbert excommunicated Cerularius on July 16, 1054, and he didn't have the authority to do so.

So why did the Pilgrim Pope send someone else to Constantinople? He was busy containing the Normans. His army had been totally defeated at the Battle of Civitate on June 15, 1053, and he was held hostage until March 1054. He had died on April 19, 1054, after he was allowed to return to Rome.

Answer: Leo XIII

The "Rerum Novarum", or the "Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor", was a letter drafted by Tommaso Maria Zigliara, and issued under the authority of Pope Leo in 1891. Sent to the clergy of every Church, it was highly significant because it was the first time that the Catholic Church made a public comment regarding the social issues that had arisen as the result of the Industrial Revolution.

The letter discussed topics that included fair wages and labor practices, workers' rights to form unions, the dangers of socialism, responsibilities of employers, as well as suggestions for what the Church could do to help with the issues of the time. Many of its topics are still relevant and debated today.
The "Rerum Novarum" formed the basis for what is called Catholic Social Teaching, focusing on the worth and dignity of humans, care for the earth and its people, and charity and justice.

On May 10, 2025, while addressing the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV stated that while he had many reasons for choosing the name Leo, his greatest inspiration came from Leo XIII who had been an advocate for workers' rights.

Answer: Leo XIII

In 1866 Pope Leo had a vision during his celebration of Mass which caused him to faint. In this vision Satan and his demons were attacking the Church, which was rescued by St. Michael the Archangel, who threw them all into Hell. Leo's interpretation of the vision was that Satan and his minions were actively trying to undermine the Church's work.

The Church was definitely involved in a power struggle that could also be interpreted as a spiritual struggle at the time. During the unification of Italy, the Papal States, land controlled by the Catholic Church from 756-1970, was incorporated into the new Italian state. Leo died before the creation of Vatican City in 1929.

The Pope subsequently wrote St. Michael's Prayer and asked that this prayer be added to other prayers ("Leonine Prayers" 1884) that he had requested to be recited after Low Mass:

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen."

St. Michael's Prayer was recited after Low Mass until 1964 when the obligation to do so was rescinded; thirty years later Pope John Paul II asked his people to reinstate its use, citing the "battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world". Pope Francis also encouraged its use.

Answer: Leo XIII

"Beginning in 1879, Leo XIII sponsored a group of scholars called the Leonine Commission who began the "Editio Leonina", a painstaking process of editing and publishing the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Thomas Aquinas, who lived in the thirteenth century, is considered to be one of the most important Christian theologians ever to have lived. He is credited with resolving a critical argument of his day concerning the importance of faith and reason.

There were several people who had debated this topic. Anselm, who lived from 1034-1109, put faith above reason, stating, "I must believe in order that I might understand"; this belief was in accordance with Church doctrine. Peter Abelard (1079-1142), however, put reason before faith, stating, "I must understand in order that I may believe. These discussions could grow rather heated, and Abelard, professing a belief that was considered heresy by the Church, was forced to stand trial. Thomas Aquinas basically wrote that both faith (in the supernatural like the Trinity) and reason (acquired from learning) are gifts from God, and therefore, both were important. Together they help people come to a greater understanding of life. Another early problem within Christianity solved!

Thomas Aquinas' book, "Summa Theologica", is still considered to be the basis of the theology of the Catholic Church, but that was just one of his writings. What the Leonine Commission hoped to do was to edit and publish everything that Thomas Aquinas ever wrote. From 1880-1930 eleven volumes were published, and by 2014 thirty-nine existed. Scholars estimated that they were about half way through all of the writings at that time.

Answer: Leo XIII

Born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci in 1810 near Rome to a wealthy family, Pope Leo XIII was extremely well educated, eventually receiving a doctorate in theology and doctorates of civil and canon law. His academic record attracted a lot of attention among church officials, and, by the time he was twenty-seven, Pope Gregory XVI appointed him to the position of personal prelate. Most of the time a church official in this position was a bishop or an ordinary. Because he was not yet ordained, Pope Leo was an ordinary who had the power to enforce Church laws.

Shortly after that, Leo was promoted to the position of Papal legate, who served the Pope as an ambassador to other peoples. It was during this appointment that the soon-to-be Pope began to notice the plight of the people with whom he came into contact. There was a lot of corruption and the exploitation of the poor was sadly evident. He became involved in the establishment of Catholic Charities, creating homeless shelters, low interest loans for the poor, soup kitchens, and a relief program for earthquake victims.