Has There Ever Been A Female Pope?
Could Conclave's ending have happened in reality?
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Conclave
Edward Bergerās political thriller Conclave has wowed both audiences and critics with its dramatic final twist, which sees an intersex priest accidentally elected to the office of pope. The movieās ending plays on the idea that only men can be chosen as head of the Roman Catholic Church by its electoral College of Cardinals. The Afghan Archbishop Vincent Benitez being chosen having only recently become a cardinal seems unusual enough for the church, until itās revealed that Benitez in fact has a uterus and ovaries. In this way, Conclave raises questions about whether thereās ever been a female pope in reality.
Many churches around the world have women bishops, and even female heads of denomination. Still, there is no possibility for a woman to become pope, since in the Catholic Church women are not allowed to be cardinals, bishops or even priests. Conclaveās surprise ending implies that, according to Church doctrine, it would be less acceptable for someone born with female organs to become pope than a hardliner calling for a religious war against Muslims like Cardinal Tedesco, or a corrupt priest like Cardinal Tremblay. This point notwithstanding, there is a story attributed to legend that suggests the Catholic Church may have had a female pope.
Legends Suggest Pope Joan Was The First & Only Female PopeShe Disguised Herself As A Man To Reach The Catholic Church's Highest OfficeAccording to a story that originated with a Catholic historian of the Dominican order, Jean de Mailly, in the 13th century, there was a female pope known by the name of John Anglicus. Her real name was Joan, and sheās said to have disguised herself as a man before reaching the priestly post of cardinal. She was supposedly elected pope in 855 AD, before being killed two years later when it was discovered that she was carrying a child.
The legend of a female pope called John, or Joan, grew until it began to be dispelled in the 16th century.
According to a revised edition of another history book by Dominican friar Martin of Opava, Joan was from Mainz, in the Rhineland part of southern Germany, and took the official name John VIII upon her ascension to the papacy, just as Cardinal Benitez takes the name Pope Innocent XIV in Conclave. Following these two historical references, the legend of a female pope called John, or Joan, grew until it began to be dispelled in the 16th century.
There Has Never Been An Official Female Pope Confirmed In HistoryPope Joan Is Considered A Purely Mythical Figure By Most Modern HistoriansItās important to clarify that there is no mention of a female pope in the official records of the Catholic Church. During the years in which Pope Joan is supposed to have ruled, the official head of the Church was Pope Benedict III, a proven historical figure with recorded start and end dates for his papacy. The third edition of Martin of Opavaās Chronicon Pontificum et Imperatorum explains away this problem by suggesting that the idea of a female pope was so untenable that Joanās story had to be removed completely from official records, and covered up by an alternate history.
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Most modern historians agree that the legendary figure of Pope Joan probably didnāt exist. Historical references to her only began appearing around 400 years after she was supposed to have lived, and itās noteworthy that the first two editions of Martin of Opavaās historiography didnāt include any mention of her. Nevertheless, her story is worth returning to in light of the issue that Conclaveās ending has raised.
Why Women Can't Be The PopeAccording To The Catholic Church, Women Weren't Ordained By ChristWomen canāt be the pope, according to the Catholic Church, because those who are ordained as priests ultimately take their direction from Jesus Christ and his apostles. Using the Bible as its source, the Church has determined that only men can be ordained as priests, because when he was on Earth Jesus only chose men to be his 12 disciples (via Catholic.com). If women canāt become priests, then there is no way for them to become bishops, cardinals, or the pope.
RelatedāMuch Better Than The Bookā: Conclave Gets Strong Review From Pope Expert, Though The Ending Is āQuite AbsurdāPope expert David Gibson reveals that he likes the Conclave movie better than the book it is based on, though he doesn't like the endings of either.
The brilliance of Conclaveās plot twist is that it gets around the prohibition of women from offices of the Catholic Church not by an imagined rule change or a transgressive act by someone outwardly female. The sex of Cardinal Benitez is a biological fact, and yet, he is still made a cardinal and elected pope. The likelihood of such a thing happening in reality is miniscule, but this plot point serves its purpose simply by raising a philosophical challenge about the nature of gender roles in the Roman Catholic Church.
Sources: Catholic.com
Your RatingConclave Release Date October 25, 2024 Runtime 120 Minutes Director Edward Berger Writers Peter Straughan, Robert Harris
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