The story of Pope Joan has captivated scholars, theologians, and feminists alike for centuries. Allegedly a woman who disguised herself as a man and ascended to the papacy in the ninth century, Pope Joan’s existence remains highly contested. While mainstream historians largely dismiss the tale as myth, its endurance in cultural and religious discourse highlights fundamental anxieties about gender roles, the authority of organised religion, and intersectional dynamics in historical narratives. Whether real or fictional, Pope Joan serves as a powerful lens through which we can examine the intersection of gender, power, and religious structures over time.
Organised Religion and the Fear of Disruption
The Catholic Church has long been predicated on strict hierarchies and male dominance, particularly within its clerical ranks. The notion of a woman secretly rising to the highest position in the Church fundamentally undermines the theological and institutional claims that have justified an exclusively male priesthood. If a woman could successfully perform the papal role without being detected, the very premise of gender-based exclusion from religious authority is called into question.
The Church’s vehement rejection of the Pope Joan narrative can be understood within this context. To admit even the possibility of a female pope would necessitate re-evaluating centuries of doctrine. Organised religion often resists challenges that might weaken its foundational principles, and Pope Joan, whether real or mythical, represents such a challenge. That the story endured through oral and written traditions despite ecclesiastical opposition suggests an undercurrent of social unease with rigid religious structures and their gatekeeping of power.
Historically, the Church has responded to challenges to male religious authority with forceful denunciations, suppression, and even persecution. The Pope Joan legend may have been actively erased or undermined by religious leaders who saw it as dangerous. Some scholars suggest that references to Pope Joan in mediaeval manuscripts were deliberately removed or altered. This aligns with a broader pattern within religious institutions of silencing or vilifying women who sought to challenge their exclusion from spiritual and administrative authority. The fact that women were systematically barred from theological study and priesthood highlights the deep-seated fear of disruption that Pope Joan’s story embodies.
Misogyny and Gender Roles Across Centuries
The Pope Joan legend reflects shifting attitudes toward gender and authority across different historical periods. In mediaeval Europe, where the story first gained traction, women were largely excluded from education, governance, and spiritual leadership. The very idea of a learnt and capable woman reaching the papacy could have been seen as both a radical and a cautionary tale, depending on the perspective of the storyteller.
The institutional misogyny embedded in organised religion has reinforced rigid gender norms for centuries. Mediaeval theologians such as Thomas Aquinas argued that women were inherently inferior to men, both intellectually and morally, thus justifying their exclusion from religious authority. This misogynistic ideology persisted into the early modern period, where even the Protestant Reformation—despite challenging Catholic structures—failed to meaningfully include women in religious leadership.
During the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, as intellectuals began questioning traditional authority, Pope Joan was often used as a symbol of hidden female potential, suppressed by patriarchal institutions. By contrast, in the Victorian era, a time of rigid gender norms, the legend was often dismissed as absurd or scandalous, reinforcing prevailing ideas about women’s intellectual inferiority and their supposed unsuitability for leadership roles. Religious institutions played a key role in perpetuating these restrictive beliefs, using theological arguments to justify the continued exclusion of women from priesthood and decision-making positions.
Even today, major religious institutions, including the Catholic Church, continue to resist female ordination and leadership. Women are often relegated to secondary roles, despite their significant contributions to religious life. The persistent refusal to allow women into the highest echelons of Church leadership underscores how deeply ingrained these biases remain. The Pope Joan story, therefore, remains strikingly relevant in contemporary discussions about gender and religious power structures.
Intersectionality: Class, Knowledge, and Exclusion
Beyond gender, Pope Joan’s story intersects with other facets of social hierarchy, particularly class and education. If she existed, her ability to pass as a man implies access to learning—something denied to most women of her time. This raises important questions about privilege: Who had access to knowledge? Who was allowed to wield power? The fact that Joan had to disguise herself as a man suggests that gender alone was not the only barrier; education and class played crucial roles in determining who could rise within the Church.
The legend also intersects with the experiences of other marginalised groups within religious history. The exclusion of women from religious leadership mirrors the exclusion of lower-class individuals, non-Europeans, and others deemed ‘unfit’ for positions of influence. Thus, Pope Joan’s story is not only about gender but also about the broader mechanisms of exclusion and control within religious institutions.
Pope Joan’s Enduring Relevance
Whether a historical figure or a legend, Pope Joan continues to provoke thought and discussion. Her story challenges long-standing assumptions about the role of women in religious and secular power structures. It reveals how organised religion has historically resisted disruption and highlights the fluidity of gender norms over time. Furthermore, the intersection of gender, class, and knowledge in her tale serves as a reminder that social hierarchies are multifaceted and deeply entrenched.
The endurance of the Pope Joan legend underscores a fundamental truth: narratives of defiance and subversion endure precisely because they challenge dominant power structures. Whether she existed or not, Pope Joan represents a radical reimagining of who is deemed fit to lead, offering a lens through which we can examine the intersection of faith, gender, and power across the centuries.
