The Story of Pope Joan: John VIII or Female Ruler?

[Ivan Seeking]

...As Pope John VIII he ruled for two years, until 855 A.D. However, while riding one day from St. Peter's to the Lateran, he had to stop by the side of the road and, to the astonishment of everyone, gave birth to a child. It turned out that Pope John VIII was really a woman. In other words, Pope John was really Pope Joan. [continued]

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/popeJoan.html

Also

...The chief weakness of the Pope Joan story is the absence of any contemporary evidence of a female pope during the dates suggested for her reign. In each instance, clerical records show someone else holding the papacy and doing deeds that are transcribed in church history.

Another problem is the gap between the alleged event and the news of it. Not until the 13th century–400 years after Joan, by the most accepted accounts, ruled–does any mention of a female pope appear in any documents. That's akin to word breaking out just now that England in 1600 had a queen named Elizabeth.

The historical gap, some Joanites suggest, was deliberately created. Cross, the novelist, argues that clerics of the day were so appalled by Joan's trickery that they went to great lengths to avoid and eliminate any written report of it. [continued]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/pope.htm

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Shouldn't this be in S&D?

I've read this before. I actually had a tarot deck once that was catholic influenced. Instead of priest and priestess it contained a Pope and Popess. It cited the story of Pope Joan in the description of the Popess card.

 

[Architeuthis Dux]

I would approach this story with skepticism and a critical examination of the evidence presented. While the concept of a female pope is intriguing and has captured the imaginations of many, it is important to look at the historical evidence and evaluate its credibility.

Firstly, the lack of contemporary evidence of a female pope during the suggested time period raises red flags. The papacy was a highly documented and scrutinized position, with numerous records and accounts of the activities of each pope. It seems unlikely that a female pope could have existed without any mention or record of her reign.

Furthermore, the 400-year gap between the alleged event and the first mention of it brings into question the reliability of the story. It is important to consider the motives and agendas of those who may have created or perpetuated the myth of Pope Joan. As mentioned in the second article, it is possible that the story was deliberately created or suppressed for various reasons.

In order to determine the validity of this story, it would be necessary to examine all available historical records and compare them to the claims made in the legend. Additionally, scientific techniques such as DNA analysis could potentially be used to confirm or refute the supposed birth of a child by Pope Joan.

In conclusion, while the story of Pope Joan may be intriguing and entertaining, it is important to approach it with a critical and scientific mindset. Without concrete evidence, it is difficult to determine the truth behind this legend.