7 Little-Known Facts About Roman Catholicism

The upside down cross (seen as a Satanic symbol in popular culture) is actually the symbol of St. Peter—considered to be the first pope. The ancient Christian churches all venerate Peter as a major saint and as the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Roman Church, but differ in their attitudes regarding the authority of his present-day successors. According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, St. Peter asked to be crucified head down as a statement of his unworthiness to die like his savior. St. Peter is believed to be buried beneath the main altar in St. Peter's Basilica. Despite the fact that popes are celibate, St. Peter was a married man.