Q 01/05

Pope Stephen VI tried an earlier pope, Formosus, in St. John Lateran in 897 despite what obstacle?

A) The accused was dead

B) The accused was abroad

C) The accused was a child

D) The accused was in hiding

Answer · why

A) The accused was dead

The accused was dead: the corpse of Formosus was dug up and questioned in the trial later nicknamed the Cadaver Synod. Found guilty, it had three fing...

Q 02/05

Which famous church is often mistaken for the pope's cathedral, the rank St. John Lateran really holds?

A) Santa Maria Maggiore

B) The Sistine Chapel

C) St. Peter's Basilica

D) Santa Maria in Trastevere

Answer · why

C) St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica hosts most papal ceremonies because of its size, but it is not a cathedral at all. The pope's official seat as Bishop of Rome is ...

Q 03/05

Which country's head of state automatically becomes the sole honorary canon of St. John Lateran?

A) Spain

B) Austria

C) Portugal

D) France

Answer · why

D) France

France has held the honour since King Henry IV, and the title of First and Only Honorary Canon passed from its kings to its presidents.

Q 04/05

The bronze central doors of St. John Lateran were taken in 1660 from which building in the Roman Forum?

A) The Temple of Saturn

B) The Senate House

C) The Basilica Julia

D) The House of the Vestals

Answer · why

B) The Senate House

The Senate House, or Curia Julia, lost its doors to the Lateran on the orders of Pope Alexander VII. A coin found inside them during the move dated th...

Q 05/05

How must pilgrims climb the 28 marble Holy Stairs kept in a sanctuary near St. John Lateran?

A) In bare feet

B) On their knees

C) Walking backwards

D) In total silence

Answer · why

B) On their knees

On their knees is the only way pilgrims may go up the Holy Stairs; four ordinary staircases alongside serve everyone else. Several popes have made the...