FOREIGN tourists requesting visas to visit Germany for the Pope’s first pilgrimage abroad are being asked searching questions about their knowledge of Christianity.

The measure by Germany is designed to prevent a wave of illegal immigration, especially from the Balkans.

More than a million young believers are expected to attend the World Youth Conference in Cologne in August, when Pope Benedict XVI will make his first papal trip.

Germans are concerned that the religious festival will be exploited by people because of their country’s fast-lane visa regulations.

The career of Joschka Fischer, the Foreign Minister, was damaged this year after he was questioned on television for 12 hours over visa rules that allowed an influx of illegal Albanian and Ukrainian immigrants, many of whom were said to have become involved in drugs and prostitution.

German embassies abroad have therefore concocted a scored questionnaire to sort out the true pilgrims from the would-be criminals.

The questions begin harmlessly enough. “Who were the first people?” and “How and when did Jesus die?” The seven deadly sins, judging by a straw poll conducted by The Times among young Germans in Berlin, are generally known, though often for the wrong reason. “I know them because of the film Seven with Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow,” a 26-year-old woman said.

For infrequent churchgoers, naming the sacraments proved more difficult, and a question asking about the types of sin baffled many. Describing God’s activity (or rather lack of it) on the seventh day of creation was regarded as a little too tricky.

The questions are marked according to difficulty. The pass mark is 70 per cent. They are drawn from four quizzes used by the German Embassy in Tirana, leaked yesterday to the mass-circulation Bild newspaper.

German officials said that there had been no attempt to discriminate against Albanian visitors; the quiz was being applied in several non-European Union countries and was simply a guide for consular officials to determine how genuine the visa applicant’s motives were.

But Albania is sensitive. The cross-examination of Herr Fischer came after it emerged that lax visa rules applied to Albanians and Ukrainians led to hundreds of thousands entering Germany and the European Union between 2000 and 2002.

As many of these people on tourist visas worked illegally or turned to crime, the Christian Democratic Opposition accused Herr Fischer of irresponsible behaviour. The lasting impression of the television duel was that Herr Fischer was not in full control of his ministerial officials.

Although the scandal has gone off the boil, it has accelerated the decline of the Social Democratic-Green coalition Government.

The Government’s first response has been to tighten consular practices in the Balkans and Ukraine, hence the Christianity quiz.

A test of faith for pilgrims

1. Who were the first people?

2. How and when did Jesus die?

3. In the story of the Creation, what did God create on the seventh day?

4. As a result of the sin committed by Adam and Eve, in what condition do we now live?

5. How many kinds of sin are there? Name them

6. Who is the father of Jesus Christ?

7. Who sentenced Jesus to death?

8. Who were the sons of Adam and Eve?

9. How many sacraments are there? Name them

10. Name the seven deadly sins.

11. Who betrayed Jesus to the Pharisees?

12. Where does Jesus sit in Heaven?

13. Name the three divine virtues.

14. How long did Jesus stay on Earth after his resurrection?

1. Adam and Eve. 2. Crucifixion on Good Friday 3. Nothing. 4. Original Sin. 5. Three - sins against the Holy Ghost, mortal sins and venial sins. 6. God. 7. Pontius Pilate. 8. Cain and Abel. 9. Seven - baptism, penance, Eucharist, confirmation, marriage, ordination, extreme unction. 10. Pride, avarice, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth. 11. Judas. 12. On the right hand of God. 13. Faith, love, hope. 14. 40 days, until Ascension Day.

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