Can a woman ever become Pope? How 2,000 years of Catholic Church tradition blocks it

Papal Conclave 2025 - will there ever be a woman Pope? The Roman Catholic Church will open its conclave on May 7 to select the next Pope, in the wake of the death of Pope Francis. Have you ever wondered whether a woman can become the pope? That's a steep hill to climb, as it would upset 2,000 years of tradition. Here is why a woman might never become the pope.

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Doctrine, tradition and law prevent the selection of a woman pope

The Roman Catholic Church is built on years of doctrine, tradition and canon law that limit the papacy only to men.

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Specifically, Canon 1024 of the Catholic Church Code of Canon Law states that a baptised male can receive the holy orders to become a priest. The position of pope is available only to bishops, who are selected from among priests.

Essentially, this shuts the door to women.

Texts from Catholic church explicitly opposed the papacy for women

The recent, foundational text the Catholic Church's position against female ordination came in 1976: 'Inter Insigniores', which means 'Among the Notable' in Latin.

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It was released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and approved by Pope Paul VI.

The document listed the theological and historical arguments against the ordination of women to the priesthood and bishopric. This was first the major document from the 20th century that explicitly opposed women as popes.

This stance was reinforced in 1994 by Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter, or Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.

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The pope maintained that the Catholic Church has no authority to ordain women as priests, and declared this teaching as definitive.

Asserting the reservation of priestly ordination "to men alone", the Pope wrote: "The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women".

It was written so that "all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance", he added.

Some Catholics have contested this.

Why is the Catholic Church opposed to a woman Pope?

The reason for this can be traced back to tradition and the scriptures of Christianity.

Lord Jesus only chose men as his apostles. The Vatican's stance is that priests and bishops are persona Christi - in the person of Christ - and since Jesus was male, only men can be priests, bishops and therefore, popes.

Traditionally, the pope is elected from cardinals, most of them having served as bishops.

In the 11th century, the Catholic Church established the College of Cardinals, which has always been male-only, and ensured a male papacy.

How important were women in the Christian church?

Women did hold major roles like in early Christian church, such as deaconesses, though they cannot be considered equal to ordained priests.

Since the 3rd Century, women have been excluded from top leadership roles of the church.

Was Pope Joan a real female pope?

In the medieval period, a legend started circulating about Pope Joan, who was described as a 'female' pope.

But it is being seen as a myth, heresy, and probably a veiled satire on the church in the 9th century.

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While you might find images of Pope Joan if you search the internet today, scholars dismiss the existence of Pope Joan.

Are there calls for women in top positions in the Church?

The Protestant Reformation was among the first periods in which there were calls for women to be ordained as priests. Similar demands were made at the height of the feminist movement in the 20th century.

Some of the churches in the Protestant movement do ordain women, but not the Catholic church.

What was Pope Francis' position on women in Church?

Pope Francis is among the pontiffs who gave more roles to women in non-ordained roles, such as advisors and lay ministers. But they also reiterated that the priesthood and papacy should remain with women.

In 2020, Pope Francis stressed that women serve in complementary, not ordained, roles.