QUIZ: 'Nun of the Above'

By Peter Westhoff

Pope emeritus, Benedict XVI

A quiz on Catholic things under the patronage of the “Doctor of Prayer,” St. Teresa of Avila. For each question there is one right answer. Each quiz will have one question that is answered with “E” for NOTA, which stands for “None of the Above.
 

This quiz is on beloved Benedict XVI, pope emeritus.

1. How did Pope Benedict XVI’s parents meet?
A. His father’s beat (he was a policeman) frequently took him by the house of his future wife.
B. They met at the first- ever Catholic speed dating night where they were the only two to show up.
C. They were pen pals who met after five years of correspondence.
D. His father ran a personals ad which his mother answered.
E. NOTA

2. On what day was the pope born and baptized in 1927?
A. On Holy Saturday
B. On the feast of St. Mark
C. On the first Sunday in the octave of Easter
D. On Palm Sunday
E. NOTA

3. On his first Easter Vigil as pope, what did the congregation in St. Peter’s spontaneously begin singing as he processed down the aisle?
A. “Stolat, Stolat” (a famous Polish song often sung to Pope John Paul II)
B. “Happy Birthday to You” – in English
C. “Hoch soll er leben” (a German song expressing the wish that one live well)
D. “Freu dich, du Himmelskonigin!” (German Easter song)
E. NOTA

4. The pope was born 20 miles from this major city:
A. Berlin
B. Bonn
C. Salzburg
D. Munich
E. NOTA

5. What Nazi persecution of the Church did he witness as a boy?
A. Nazi soldiers beat up the parish priest as he was preparing to say Mass.
B. Churches were forced to be closed every day except Sunday.
C. Church collections were confiscated by the government.
D. Several of his relatives were deported.
E. NOTA

6. What was the motto on his episcopal coat of arms? (Note: Papal coat of arms of recent tradition do not have a motto.)
A. “Cooperatores Veritatus” (“Cooperators in Truth”)
B. “Totus Tuus” (“Totally Yours”)
C. “Pacem in Terra” (“Peace on Earth”)
D. “Attende Domine” (“Hear us O Lord”)
E. NOTA

7. Of what work was Pope Benedict XVI the president of the Preparatory Commission?
A. A redesign of the Papal Gardens
B. The writing of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
C. World Youth Day in Denver
D. The papal conclave that elected Pope John Paul I
E. NOTA

8. Which of these World Youth Days did Pope Benedict XVI not preside over?
A. Cologne, Germany
B. Sydney, Australia
C. Madrid, Spain
D. Manila, Philippines
E. NOTA

9. Pope Benedict XVI is actually only the 15th pope to take the name Benedict. What number was skipped in the list of popes named Benedict?
A. II
B. VIII
C. X
D. XII
E. NOTA

10. We know certainly that Cardinal Ratzinger shared this characteristic with only one other voting cardinal in the conclave that elected him as pope:
A. He was a non-Italian vote-getter.
B. He had been made a cardinal by Paul VI
C. As dean he would have been one of the two who were responsible for burning the ballots
D. He had been told by Pope John Paul II whom he wished to be his successor.
E. NOTA

ANSWERS: 1. D He sought someone who could cook, sew and was devout. 2. A, 3. B, 4. C, 5. A, 6. A 7. B 8. D 9. C Benedict X was used by an anti-pope and the next pope to choose Benedict chose to be XI 10. B There were three cardinals that Pope Paul VI had named who were eligible, but one was too ill to attend. All other living cardinals named by Paul VI were over 80. 11. B