Pope Joan film sparks Roman Catholic Church row
A new film based on the legend of Pope Joan – an Englishwoman who purportedly disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female pontiff in history – has sparked debate in the Roman Catholic Church.
The film has fuelled disagreements over whether Pope Joan really existed or, as the Church has always maintained, she was a mythical figure used by the early Protestant Church to discredit and embarrass Rome.
For a Church that even in the 21st century remains staunchly opposed to the idea of female priests, a female Pope was anathema.
But proponents of the story point out that papal records are almost non-existent in the 10th and 11th centuries and that even male popes are barely documented.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
The film has fuelled disagreements over whether Pope Joan really existed or, as the Church has always maintained, she was a mythical figure used by the early Protestant Church to discredit and embarrass Rome.
For a Church that even in the 21st century remains staunchly opposed to the idea of female priests, a female Pope was anathema.
But proponents of the story point out that papal records are almost non-existent in the 10th and 11th centuries and that even male popes are barely documented.