Catholic General Knowledge Quiz

The origins of the Catholic faith can be traced back to the teachings and words of Jesus of Nazareth, who is widely known as Jesus Christ. His teachings slowly grew and became more popular over his lifetime (from 4 B.C to 30 A.D).

Catholicism is one of the largest and most popular subsets of Christianity. Christianity enjoys the support of more than 2 billion people all over the world, making it the single largest religion on planet earth.

Throughout the world, there are more than 1 billion Catholics, and the number is continuing to rise. These individuals live all over the world, but no area has as many Catholics as Latin America.

There are many different leaders and positions of power in the Catholic Church, but none are more powerful than the pope. He is elected, and once elected, is considered the leader of the Catholic church. Saint Peter is considered to have been the first "Bishop of Rome," and all popes who came after him are his direct successors.

While church services can be attended at many different days and times, Sunday is the most common day for Catholics to attend worship services in church. Churches all over the world hold Sunday mass for anyone interested in attending.

A cardinal is a senior leader in the Roman Catholic Church, often known as a Prince of the Church. Most cardinals are ordained bishops and have duties that include leading a diocese, managing departments and helping to elect a new pope.

The word Catholic stems from both the Latin and Greek languages. It originally comes from the Greek word "katholikos," which means universal. That comes from the Greek phrase of "katholous," which means "on the whole."

There are several countries with millions and millions of Catholics inhabiting them. However, no country has more Catholics than Brazil. Brazil is believed to have anywhere from around 110,000,000 to 170,000,000 Catholics living there (about 65% of the population), according to various sources.

The current pope, as of July of 2019, is Pope Francis. He became the Pope in 2013 and is the very first Pope to be from the Southern Hemisphere. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Bible is quite long and has several important stories and books, but in total, there are only two "testaments," the Old Testament (which contains the Books of the Bible before Jesus Christ's birth) and the New Testament (which is a collection of the Books of the Bible after Christ's birth and death.)

There are three major branches of Christianity, and Catholicism is one. The other two are Protestant and Orthodox. While they are all Christians, there are some significant differences between each branch. There are, however, subdivisions, often referred to as denominations, within these main branches.

The death and resurrection of Jesus are among the foundation points of a Catholic and Christian faith. They believe Jesus was resurrected three days after his death (commemorated on Good Friday.) His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday.

Because Jesus was born in Jerusalem, Judea, that is where the religion began. After his word quickly spread, so did the popularity of the religion. As mentioned, Catholics now exist nearly everywhere on the planet.

Throughout history, there have been 266 popes, including the current pope, Pope Francis. There has been an active pope in the world since the first century. They have come from all over the world, but the majority have come from Italy.

Vatican City is a sovereign state located in Rome, Italy. It is ruled by the pope and is seen by many as the epicenter of the Catholic Church. It is also the smallest country on the planet, with fewer than 1,000 residents.

While many think Holy See and Vatican City are the same, this isn't the case. The Holy See is a seat of government for the universal church and a spiritual governing body.

While Jesus had many different followers, there were only 12 original apostles. These were his first group of followers. They played a significant role in spreading Jesus' message, especially after his death and resurrection.

A schism is a split or division between two organizations, groups or entities. For example, Christianity went through a schism in 1054 when Christianity was split into Catholic and Orthodox sects.

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew. The first language it was translated to was Greek. Since then, the Bible has been translated into thousands of different languages from all over the world.

While it is impossible to know Jesus' exact age when he died on the cross, it is believed he was at least 33 years old. There are some who believe he could have been as old as 36, but 33 is generally believed to be the age at which Jesus died.

While there are many different books in the Bible, the first is the Book of Genesis. It is Judaism's story around the creation of the world as we know it and how Jewish people came to exist on the planet.

There are many popular and common prayers in the Catholic church, but "The Host of Our Being" is not one of them. Praying and singing songs alike is a very large part of the Roman Catholic faith.

While tracing the exact group who was responsible for the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it is believed to be the Romans. Pontius Pilate, a prefect serving under the Roman Emperor Tiberius, judged the trial and ordered the eventual crucifixion.

While the Twelve Apostles were Jesus's closest followers and friends, one of them went on to betray him by revealing who he was to the group looking to arrest him. That apostle was Judas Iscariot, who is believed to have hung himself afterward.

The number of priests in the Catholic Church is just over 400,000. While this is still a staggering number, the exact number of priests has declined compared to previous years.

Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. It is when someone is considered a full member of the church. It is the third and final sacrament of initiation into the church. The other two are Baptism and Holy Communion.

Lent s a religious observance that takes place from Ash Wednesday until the day before Easter. It lasts around six weeks. Its purpose is to help the faithful prepare for Easter.

According to the Vatican press website, there are only 214 cardinals in the Catholic church. It is a very exclusive group. And of those 214, only 115 are eligible to vote during the election of a new pope.

The gathering of cardinals during which a new pope is voted on and elected is called the Papal Conclave. Certain members of the College of Cardinals meet and elect someone to become the next pope. These meetings are held in the Sistine Chapel.

While there are more than 600 total commandments, the Decalogue is made up of the Ten Commandments that most Catholics know and by which they live. They play an important and fundamental role in the religion.

There are seven different sacraments in Catholicism. These are split into three different sections: the sacraments of initiation, the sacraments of healing and the sacraments of service.

The pope's official residence is the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. The building also contains various offices and libraries. Construction on the palace began in 1589.

Throughout the history of Catholicism, there have been more than 10,000 Saints. Some of the names and identities of the saints have been lost over the centuries. Each saint has their own unique reason and story behind why they were made a saint.

The first pope or Bishop of Rome was none other than St. Peter. He is the namesake behind the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. He was also a member of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus himself.

The Bible consists of many books, but there are four main Gospels that every Catholic should know from their lessons. They are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.