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John Paul II Trivia

John Paul II Trivia Quizzes

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Karol Jozef Wojtyla was inaugurated as Pope John Paul II on 22 October, 1978. The first non-Italian pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church since the 15th century held the office until his death in 2005. He was canonised in 2014, and is now officially known as Pope Saint John Paul II.
4 quizzes and 45 trivia questions.
1.
  The Life of John Paul II    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz highlights Pope John Paul II, the first Polish Pope in history and the first in a series of non-Italian popes.
Average, 10 Qns, bernie73, Jul 16 26
Average
bernie73 gold member
Jul 16 26
70 plays
2.
  The Life of Pope John Paul II   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
John Paul II was the first Polish pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a spiritual leader, a wonderful speaker, and had strong convictions. See how well you know these facts about his life.
Average, 10 Qns, CmdrK, Jul 20 22
Average
CmdrK gold member
Jul 20 22
303 plays
3.
  The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
John Paul II travelled extensively, and met many important statesmen, monarchs and world leaders. At times he was uncompromising in his interpretation of the scriptures, and was sometimes seen as controversial.
Average, 15 Qns, picqero, Nov 13 07
Average
picqero
1750 plays
4.
  Pope John Paul II    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
My quiz dedicated to the only Pope that I have ever known, Pope John Paul II.
Average, 10 Qns, _jay_pee_, Jul 31 12
Average
_jay_pee_
1424 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What was Pope John Paul II's real name?

From Quiz "Pope John Paul II"




Related Topics
  Popes [Religion] (34 quizzes)


John Paul II Trivia Questions
1. By what name was John Paul II known before he became Pope?

From Quiz The Life of John Paul II

Answer: Karol Wojtyla

Jan Pawel means "John Paul" in Polish. The correct answer was, of course, Karol Wojtyla. Joseph Ratzinger was the name of Pope Benedict XVI. Adam Sapienha was one of John Paul's mentors. Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005) in his youth was a deep lover of association football (soccer) and amateur dramatics. His mother Emilia died when he was only eight.

2. Pope John Paul II was born in Poland in 1920. What was his father's occupation at the time of his birth?

From Quiz The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II

Answer: He was an officer in the Polish army.

John Paul II was born, Karol Joseph Wojtyla, on May 18th 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. His father was an administrative officer in the Polish army, and his mother was a teacher. His mother died nine years later, and his father died in 1941. When he was thirteen his elder brother died, and he also had an elder sister who died before he was born.

3. In what year was Pope John Paul II born?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: 1920

He was born in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920. His father was a former officer in the Polish army and his mother a former schoolteacher.

4. What was Pope John Paul II's birth name?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

5. What life changing event occurred to the future John Paul II in 1942?

From Quiz The Life of John Paul II

Answer: He entered the seminary

John Paul II was in the seminary from 1942 through the rest of the war. By the time he joined the seminary in 1942, he had already been predeceased by his mother, father, and brother. A conversation with Cardinal Sapienha of Krakow helped convince hem to enter the seminary. Another sibling died before he was born. He was formally ordained a priest on November 1, 1946. During his time in the seminary, he is credited with helping to protect many of the Jews of Poland.

6. What was Pope John Paul II's real name?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: Karol Wojtyla

Karol translates into Charles (or Carl) in English.

7. How many popes were listed before Pope John Paul II in the "Annuario Pontificio", the annual directory of the Holy See?

From Quiz The Life of John Paul II

Answer: 263

Pope John Paul II was the 264th pope, and Benedict XVI was the 265th pope according to this count. John Paul II was also the first non-Italian pope since the sixteenth century, and the very first Polish pope. (The reason for making this quiz!). The office of the Papacy goes back to St. Peter and the first century AD. His period as pope (1978-2005) was one of the longest in history. (Due to the uncertainty of early records and competing claims of Antipopes, there is some contention about this numbering.)

8. What did Pope John Paul II do during the early years of the Second World War?

From Quiz The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II

Answer: He worked as a stonecutter in a quarry.

He worked in a quarry at Zakrzowek, near Cracow, and later in a chemical factory. During this period, he is known to have been a member of the Polish resistance. In order to escape Nazi persecution he then went into hiding, and continued to study secretly for the priesthood. In 1946, just one year after the war ended, he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.

9. In which river did Pope John Paul II swim in his youth?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: Skawa

The river was often flooded and it took a great amount of courage to swim it.

10. Which Polish City was his birthplace?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

11. What does John Paul II's motto "Totus Tuus" mean?

From Quiz The Life of John Paul II

Answer: Totally Yours

Pope John Paul II took his motto from a Marian consecrating prayer, originally penned by Saint Louis de Montfort. The phrase expressed John Paul's personal devotion to Mary. The words "Totus Tuus" were also included near the beginning of his will. The phrase is a long-standing expression used in letters composed in Latin.

12. Including the first pope, St. Peter, how many popes preceded John Paul II?

From Quiz The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II

Answer: 263

John Paul II was the 264th Pope, and was elected on October 16th 1978. His predecessor, John Paul I, had only been in office for thirty-three days, and his untimely death undoubtedly influenced the College of Cardinals to elect a younger and fitter man as pope. John Paul II was the first non-Italian to be elected pope for 456 years, the last being Adrian VI (1522-1523) who was born in Utrecht.

13. In 1964, the future Pope John Paul II was appointed as resident Archbishop of which city?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: Krakow

In 1958, he was named a bishop of Krakow and in 1964, he assumed leadership. He often took a public stand against communism and government officials.

14. As a youth leader what did the young priest do to disguise his profession to Polish communists?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

15. How many exorcisms did Pope John Paul II perform throughout his papacy?

From Quiz The Life of John Paul II

Answer: 3

All three exorcisms were performed on women. They were performed in 1982, 2000, and 2001. For those of you who are out of the loop, an exorcism is the banishment of an evil spirit from a body. John Paul also led the Catholic Church's updating of the Rite of Exorcism in 1998 (the first updating since the seventeenth century.)

16. How old was Pope John Paul II when he was elected Pope?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: 58

He was the youngest pope to be elected in 132 years.

17. In 1947, a Catholic mystic predicted that Rev. Wojtyla would rise to "the highest post in the Church". What did Wojtyla consider that to be?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

18. John Paul II was elected pope on October 16th 1978. This year became known as 'the year of the three popes'. John Paul II's predecessor, John Paul I, reigned as pope for only thirty three days, but who was the other pope who reigned in 1978?

From Quiz The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II

Answer: Paul VI

Paul VI was born Giovanni Battista Montini in Lombardy, Italy on 26th September, 1897. He became pope on 21st June, 1963, and died on 6th August, 1978. When he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1964, he became the first pope in over 150 years to leave Italy. He subsequently visited India, U.S.A., South East Asia, and Africa. Clement X reigned from 1670 to 1676. Gregory XVI reigned from 1831 to 1846, and John XXIII was Paul VI's predecessor, reigning from 1958 to 1963.

19. Pope John Paul II was the first non-_______ pope in 455 years.

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: Italian

The last non-Italian pope was Adrian VI, who held the position in 1523.

20. On what day in history did John Paul II's papacy begin?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

21. What important event in the life of Pope John Paul II occurred on May 13th 1981?

From Quiz The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II

Answer: An assassination attempt was made on him.

A fanatical Turkish gunman, Mehmet Ali Agca, fired several shots at John Paul II during a public appearance in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The pontiff was hit by four bullets which caused severe wounds. In 1983 he visited his would-be assassin in prison, and prayed with him. One of the bullets fired by Agca was later set in a jewelled crown, and donated to 'Our Lady of Fatima Basilica' in Portugal.

22. Which subject was Pope John Paul II staunchly against?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: Communism

During his first visit to Poland he told the people, 'You are men. You have dignity. Don't crawl on your bellies.' Many regard his appointment the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union.

23. On which day in history was Pope John Paul II shot?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

24. How old was John Paul II when he became Pope?

From Quiz The Life of John Paul II

Answer: 58

At 58, Pope John Paul II was one of the youngest popes in history. Being elected when he was younger aided him in part to have such a long reign (nearly 27 years).

25. How many U.S. presidents had a personal audience with Pope John Paul II?

From Quiz The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II

Answer: five

In October 1979 John Paul II became the first ever pope to visit the White House where he was received by President Jimmy Carter, who surprised him by greeting him in Polish. Ronald Reagan met John Paul II in June, 1982, and again in June, 1987. President George H.W. Bush met the pontiff in November 1991, and his son, President George W. Bush, met him in June 2004. President Bill Clinton met John Paul II in June 1994.

26. Pope John Paul II established a new celebration in the 1980s. The first one was held on March 23, 1986. What is it?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: World Youth Day

The first World Youth Day was held in Rome. Since then World Youth Days have been held in Paris, Toronto, Buenos Aires, and Czestochowa (Poland).

27. What item did Pope John Paul II place in the crown of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13, 1982?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

28. The first time John Paul II was shot, on May 13, 1981, who was the gunman?

From Quiz The Life of John Paul II

Answer: Mehmet Ali Agca

John Paul II survived the assassination attempt, he said, because of the "protection of Our Lady of Fatima." The gunman was caught and sentenced to life-imprisonment. The Pope came to visit him in jail, and Mehmet Ali Ağca felt remorse, for which John Paul forgave him.

29. What nationality was the man who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II?

From Quiz Pope John Paul II

Answer: Turkish

Mehmet Ali Agca shot the pope twice in 1981. The pope spent two and a half months hospitalized until he fully recovered from his wounds. On December 27, Pope John Paul went to the prison and met with his would-be assassin.

30. What is the special vehicle the Pope rides in during public appearances?

From Quiz The Life of Pope John Paul II

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.

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