Catholic Trivia Trivia Quiz

Answer: St. Peter

St. Peter was the first Pope. 'And so I say to you, you are Peter. And on this rock will I build my Church.... I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.' -St. Matthew 16:18. The Catholic Church can trace every single successor of Peter up until Francis I - all 266 of them!

Answer: Transubstantiation

'Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.' - St. John 6:54,55

Answer: The Virgin Mary

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception teaches that the Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of sin by God from the very moment of her conception, so that Christ could take his humanity and be born from a sinless woman. This is distinct from the doctrine of the Virgin Birth, which holds that Jesus was born of a virgin, without human intervention.

Answer: Purgatory

Phoenix (where I live) in July would be the second best answer. :) Purgatory is only a temporary state, where souls are purified and cleansed, and every suffering soul in Purgatory, when made pure, will be admitted to God's presence in Heaven. In the 'Divine Comedy', Dante contrasts the hopelessness and despair of Hell with the joyful anticipation of Purgatory.

Answer: Arianism

Arianism, named for the bishop Arius, held that Jesus had one nature only - human. Although this heresy was introduced in the fourth century, some modern religious groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses have an Arian understanding of Christ's nature.

Answer: Augustinian

Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk before his separation from the Church.

Answer: 'Universal'

'Catholic' means 'universal' in Greek. It is called Catholic because it is includes all people, of every race, language, and culture. The Church is, admittedly, discriminatory on the basis of creed. {;)}

Answer: No

Contraception has always been viewed by the Church as a grave sin because it closes the sex act to the transmission of life, its foremost purpose. Pope Pius XI wrote in 1930 his work "Casti Connubii" which spoke out against contraception, but acknowledged that in a marriage there may be other reasons to have intercourse.

Answer: Limbo

Limbo is not a doctrine of the Church - it is a theological construct that the Church allows its members to believe if they wish. The Catholic Church teaches that it simply does not know where these souls go. The Church is sure, however, that they do not go to Hell, because deliberate, mortal sin is required for eternal damnation.

Answer: Yes

In all rites of the Church in communion with Rome, priests may not marry, and a married man cannot be ordained in the Roman Catholic Church. However, a man whose wife has died can become a priest. In some Orthodox churches, a married man can be ordained, although an ordained priest cannot then marry. Also, Anglican and Episcopal priests who are married and convert to Catholicism may be ordained.

Answer: 'Ex nihilo'

'Ex' means 'from' and 'nihilo' means 'nothing' (think nihilism - belief in nothing).

Answer: St. Maria Goretti

St. Maria Goretti died at the age of twelve from injuries sustained from a would-be rapist. He stabbed her fourteen times. She died two days later, but not before forgiving him and asking God's forgiveness of him as well.

Answer: No

Infallibility, the inability to issue error on a matter of faith or morals when speaking as the head of the Catholic Church, is not the same as impeccability, or the inability to sin. Only Our Lord Jesus and His Blessed Mother are impeccable. The Pope is a sinner, and our humble current Pope would be the first to admit it.

Answer: Cheating on a test

A venial sin is one that does not destroy our relationship with God. However, they do make one more prone to committing a mortal sin.

Answer: The Virgin Mary

Although many people think that Catholics regard Mary as somewhat divine, Catholics are forbidden to regard her as anything but a human being. But because she was specially chosen to be the mother of God incarnate, Catholics revere her as the highest of the saints. The other Three are the Persons of the Holy Trinity.