Skip to main content

Understanding Cardinals in Catholicism

This quiz tests your knowledge about cardinals in Catholicism, their roles, and historical figures. Great for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of the Catholic Church hierarchy.

#Catholicism #Cardinals #Religion #Christianity #Church hierarchy

1 A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the ________.

2 ________, Cardinal Bishop of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops

3 They are collectively known as the ________, which as a body elects a new pope.

4 Roger Etchegaray, ________, Vice-Dean, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

5 Since most cardinals are also bishops, the title of cardinal bishop only means that the cardinal in question holds the title of one of the "suburbicarian" sees — they include the ________ — or is a patriarch of an Eastern Catholic church.

6 For a period ending in the mid-20th century, long-serving cardinal priests were entitled to fill vacancies that arose among the cardinal bishops, just as ________ of ten years' standing are still entitled to become cardinal priests.

7 The Dean, the head (as ________) of the College of Cardinals, is elected by the cardinal bishops holding suburbicarian sees from among their own number, an election, however, that must be approved by the pope.

8 During the ________, the period between a pope's death and the election of his successor, the day-to-day governance of the Church as a whole is in the hands of the College of Cardinals.

9 José Saraiva Martins, ________, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints

10 Most cardinals have additional duties, such as leading a diocese or archdiocese or running a department of the ________.

💡 Interesting Facts

  • the election in 1181 of Pope Lucius III was the first papal election held in accordance with the decree that the pope is to be elected with a two-thirds majority by the cardinals.
  • the papal election of 1061, the first carried out solely by cardinal bishops, resulted in a war between Pope Alexander II and Antipope Honorius II.
  • the cardinals were not allowed to serve simultaneously as residential bishops until the pontificate of Alexander III.
  • the smallest papal election since the expansion of suffrage to all cardinals was undertaken by only six cardinal electors.
  • the antiquarian Giuseppe Alessandro Furietti refused to cede his pair of Hellenistic centaurs (pictured) to Pope Benedict XIV even after being offered a position as a cardinal in return.
  • three conclavists—personal aides to cardinals during a papal conclave—have gone on to be elected Pope.
  • the small Croatian town of Jastrebarsko was home to two cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, who were also both archbishops of the country's capital Zagreb.
  • the beard of Greek cardinal Basilios Bessarion was partly responsible for the defeat of his candidacy in the papal conclave, 1455.
  • ten of the twenty-three Cardinal electors in the 1492 papal conclave—which elected Rodrigo Borja as Pope Alexander VI —were nephews of the popes that elevated them.
  • only two of the fourteen French cardinals were in Italy at the start of the papal conclave, 1549-1550 because a clause of the Concordat of Bologna allowed the pope to redistribute their benefices if they died in Rome.
  • Pope Clement IX (pictured) received a vote in the final ballot from every cardinal present at his election to the papacy in 1667, except himself and Neri Corsini.
  • Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire was allowed to enter the papal conclave, 1769, in spite of restriction of the attendance to cardinals.
  • Cardinal Uberto Crivelli was elected Pope Urban III in the papal election in 1185 within the few hours after the death of his predecessor Lucius III.
  • Gregory XV was acclaimed as the new pope in the papal conclave of 1621 even though Cardinal Robert Bellarmine had received the most votes in the ballot.
  • Alan de St Edmund, while in Rome as chaplain to Cardinal Hugh of Evesham, was made Bishop of Caithness after its previous bishop-elect died there while seeking consecration.
  • Władysław Oporowski, archbishop and primate of Poland, was a chief political rival of cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki.
  • sanfedisti irregulars, led by Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo, toppled the Parthenopaean Republic in 1799, restoring the monarchy of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies.
  • Cardinal Lodovico Trevisan, who won several battles as Captain General of the papal army, was known as the "angel of peace".
    • Previous Quiz Next Quiz

    Related Quizzes

    Exploring the 16th Century: Events, Figures, and Discoveries

    #history #16th century #exploration #Renaissance #Conquistadores #art #politics #religion

    Exploring Ancient Egypt: A Comprehensive Quiz

    #Ancient Egypt #history #archaeology #culture #religion #agriculture

    Exploring Anglicanism: A Quiz on Its History and Beliefs

    #Anglicanism #Christianity #Church History #Theology #Religious Studies

    Understanding the Role of an Archbishop

    #Archbishop #Catholic Church #Christianity #Ecclesiastical Hierarchy #Religious Studies

    Understanding the Role and History of the Archbishop of Canterbury

    #Archbishop of Canterbury #Church of England #Christianity #History #Religious Studies

    The History and Culture of Armenians

    #Armenian history #culture #geography #demographics #football #religion

    Exploring Atheism and Related Philosophies

    #Atheism #Nontheism #Philosophy #Freethought #Religion #History

    Understanding the Benedictine Tradition

    #Benedictine #Christianity #Monasticism #Religious Orders #Education