Female Pope

[MelanieM]

A friend told me that at one stage, there was a female who disguised herself as a male and was Pope. Is this true?

[Stephen Spiteri]

This would refer to the legend of "Pope Joan" who, according to the story, "reigned" as pope during the ninth century. The story is indeed a fabrication and there are several historical discrepancies which demolish the credibility of the story.


"Between Leo IV and Benedict III, where Martinus Polonus places her, she cannot be inserted, because Leo IV died 17 July 855, and immediately after his death Benedict III was elected by the clergy and people of Rome; but owing to the setting up of an Antipope, in the person of the deposed Cardinal Anastasius, he was not consecrated until 29 September. Coins exist which bear both the image of Benedict III and of Emperor Lothair I, who died 28 September 855; therefore Benedict must have been recognized as Pope before the last-mentioned date. On 7 October 855, Benedict III issued a charter for the Abbey of Corvey. Hincmar, Archbishop of Reims, informed Nicholas I that a messenger whom he had sent to Leo IV learned on his way of the death of this Pope, and therefore handed his petition to Benedict III, who decided it (Hincmar, ep. xl in P.L., CXXXVI, 85). All these witnesses prove the correctness of the dates given in the lives of Leo IV and Benedict III, and there was no interregnum between these two Popes, so that at this place there is no room for the alleged Popess." - Kirsch, J.P. (1910). "Popess Joan". The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

There is no contemporary evidence for this woman's existence and several scholars, both Catholic and Protestant, dismiss the "Pope Joan" legend as a quasi-feminist anti-Catholic fable.

Suggested reading: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08407a.htm

[DavidObeid]

Patrick Madrid (who's a great guy by the way!) wrote a book called "Pope Fiction" where he debunks a load of myths about the papacy, including the myth of "Pope Joan".

You can read a short article of his on the subject here:

http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/guests/patrickmadrid/popejoan.asp

[Stephen Spiteri]

Patrick Madrid is a legend... not to mention a very, very good author. His Surprised by Truth (anecdotes of conversions to the Catholic faith) series is top notch and he makes regular appearances on Catholic Answers Live (http://www.catholic.com/radio.asp) as a guest for the Open Forum Q&A sessions.

[Matthew]

I've never had the time or the patience to even bother examining the "pope Joan" myth myself so I'll leave that side of the question to better people.

But one reason for this is I don't see how from a dogmatic theology perspective even if it were true it would prove anything for anyone. Since a woman cannot be a priest and therefore cannot be a bishop and since the pope is by definition the bishop of Rome any such "pope Joan" would not be a valid pope but a mere imposter all of whose decrees and acts would be utterly null and void. The list of anti-popes would increase by one. Apart from that I don't see much else following from it.

If it is a big issue with someone research all the aspects of the questions and blow the idea out the water. But I have to say that unless I've been inattentive it seems most responses to the question in apologetics sources go straight to the historical argument with no reference to this simple principle.