10 Fun Facts about the Catholic Church

10 – We have tons of friends. Not only are there more than 1.18 billion Catholics, but we also have the Angels and Saints.
9 – The Church’s system of law, called Canon Law, is the basis of much of the law in the world’s Western culture.
8 – Catholics not only read The Bible, but put The Bible together.
7 – Pope John Paul II snuck out of the Vatican more than 100 times to go skiing in the Italian Alps without anyone noticing.
6 – If your last name is “Zolp” then you get a full scholarship to Loyola Chicago, that is, if you can verify that is really your name with your birth certificate and baptismal certificate. Only 4 people have received the scholarship so far.
5 – The Vatican is the smallest country in the world and has a total land area of 0.44 square kilometers.
4 – The Vatican’s largest export is postage stamps.
3 – Excommunication does not mean someone is “kicked out of the Church” or “sent to hell”.
2 – The Catholic Church is not anti-science. In fact, many of the major scientific discoveries have been made by Catholics (some who were priests). The Vatican even has an observatory.
1 – The Catholic Church is the mother of the modern university.
Source: http://www.aggiecatholicblog.org/2011/10/10-fun-catholic-facts/