1QUESTION 1 OF 3
Answer & explanation
The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.
Answer & explanation
Official answer
267
popes
How to estimate it
Fermi’s official “Napkin math”
The Church has been going about 2,000 years, and it has wanted a pope for all of them. How long does one last? They serve for life and they start late, so maybe 8 years.
- Church has existed
- ~2,000 yrs
- Years per pope
- ~8
- 2,000 ÷ 8
- ≈ 250
Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.
Source calculation & reference
- St. Peter through Pius XII
- = 260
- John XXIII through Francis
- + 6
- Leo XIV (elected May 2025)
- + 1
- Total popes
- = 267
Reference cited by Fermi: Vatican Annuario Pontificio
How close was your guess?
Your comparison will appear here.
Compare by ratio: divide the larger number by the smaller one. The closer to 1×, the better.