Roman Catholicism: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 11, 2026

News •

Pope Leo returns to beloved former home of Chiclayo, the Peruvian city that claims him as its own • Nov. 11, 2026, 11:03 PM ET (AP)

Pope Leo returns to a national celebration in his second homeland of Peru • Nov. 11, 2026, 10:35 PM ET (AP)

Pope wraps up Uruguay visit and arrives in Milei’s Argentina for the most fraught stop of his tour • Nov. 8, 2026, 2:39 PM ET (AP)

After cancer surgery, Pope Leo embarks on Latin America trip with a first stop in secular Uruguay • Nov. 6, 2026, 12:13 AM ET (AP)

A still-recovering pope will head home to Latin America and his beloved Peru for a 12-day trip • Nov. 5, 2026, 12:05 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Roman Catholic Church

Did You Know?

The Advocatus Diaboli ("Devil's Advocate") was an official who would critically examine a canonization candidate's life.
John F. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic to be president of the United States.
In 2014, Porsche rented out the Sistine Chapel for a charity event.
The big bang theory was proposed by a monsignor of the Catholic Church, Georges LeMaitre.
William Tyndale was deemed a heretic for translating the New Testament into modern English.

Photos and Videos

St. Peter's Basilica

Cardinals in red vestments attend Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, with Cardinal Angelo Sodano leading the service at the ornate central altar.

Infographic featuring a central illustration of a pope, surrounded by labeled facts such as the total number of popes, most common papal names, oldest and youngest elected, longest and shortest reigns, number of popes made saints, official titles, and origins by country.

Skellig Michael

Cluny: belfry tower

Map of the Iberian Peninsula highlighting the main pilgrimage routes of the Camino de Santiago across Spain, Portugal, and a portion of southern France. Color-coded lines trace the Finisterre, Frances, Ingles, Norte, Portugues Central, Portugues Coastal, and Via de la Plata routes, all converging toward Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Major cities along the routes, such as Lisbon, Porto, Burgos, Leon, and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, are labeled.

Pope Gregory VII

Who was St. Peter the Apostle?

Photo of Saint Carlos Acutis in a Catholic church.

The Western Schism and the Roman Catholic Church

How Is a Pope Elected?

The history of land ownership in post-Reformation Ireland

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Topics

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Key People

Painting by Albrecht Durer of Charlemagne in ornate coronation robes and crown, holding a sword and orb, with gold embroidery and regal symbols behind him.

Charlemagne

Holy Roman emperor [747?–814]

Bonaventura Berlinghieri: St. Francis and Scenes from His Life

St. Francis of Assisi

Italian saint

St. Gregory the Great

St. Gregory the Great

pope

John XXIII

St. John XXIII

pope

Henry IV, undated copperplate engraving.

Henry IV

king of France

Girolamo Savonarola

Italian preacher

St. John Henry Newman

St. John Henry Newman

British theologian

Jan Hus

Jan Hus

Bohemian religious leader

Godfrey Kneller: painting of James II

James II

king of England, Scotland, and Ireland

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots

queen of Scotland

John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe

English theologian

Mother Teresa

Roman Catholic nun

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Clovis I

Merovingian king

Alessandro Farnese, duke of Parma and Piacenza

Alessandro Farnese

regent of The Netherlands

Pope Innocent IV

Innocent IV

pope

Jansen, engraving by Jean Morin

Cornelius Otto Jansen

Flemish theologian

Pope Leo IX

St. Leo IX

pope

Pius V

St. Pius V

pope

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St. Peter Damian

Roman Catholic cardinal

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Michael VIII Palaeologus

Byzantine emperor

Anastasius II (died 498) pope from 496 after a 16th century illustration

Pope Quiz

Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday

Christianity Quiz

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Kolkata), India. Roman Catholic nun, at the World Conference of the International Women's Year in Mexico City in 1975

History of Roman Catholicism Quiz