Why the next pope will not be a woman

Yahoo

23-04-2025

Large queues are expected today as mourners flock to the Vatican to pay their respects to Pope Francis ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
The Prince of Wales and prime minister Keir Starmer will join US president Donald Trump for the service, following the pontiff's death on Easter Monday at the age of 88.
The pope will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica from Wednesday morning before a funeral mass is held at 10am local time in St Peter's Square on Saturday.
Large queues are expected to form, with the body likely to be on display 24 hours a day. However, in changes made by the pope last year, his body has been placed in a simplified wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside, rather than in three wooden coffins as was previously tradition.
His casket will not be put on an elevated platform in St Peter's Basilica, as was the case with past popes, but will instead be placed simply facing the pews.
A nine-day period of mourning will follow the funeral, after which the secretive meeting – known as the conclave – to elect a new pope begins in the Sistine Chapel.
Cardinals who are entitled to vote are then locked in for the duration of the election process, with no contact with the outside world.
Votes are taken daily until one candidate wins a two-thirds majority. Ballot cards, infused with chemicals, are burned after each vote and give off either white or black smoke to the outside world.
Black smoke means voting is inconclusive but the glimpse of white smoke shows the waiting world that a decision has been made.
While no one knows who the next pope will be, one thing is certain – it won't be a woman.
Here, Yahoo News UK explains exactly why the successor to Pope Francis cannot be female…
To be eligible as a candidate for pope, the candidate must be a baptised Catholic male, who is elected in conclave by popes by cardinals.
The pope, as the Bishop of Rome and leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, must also be ordained as a priest and bishop – roles that, according to Catholic teaching, are reserved exclusively for men.
Additionally, the pope must be unmarried, adhering to the Church's tradition of clerical celibacy for bishops in the Latin Rite, which is the largest branch of Catholicism.
In 1994, Pope John Paul II set out exactly why the role of pope is reserved exclusively for men. He explained that women cannot be ordained as priests, a prerequisite for becoming pope.
He wrote that priestly ordination has always been reserved for men, based on the example of Jesus choosing only male apostles and the Church's consistent tradition over centuries.
While some may lambast the Church for not being progressive, John Paul II insists that this is not due to cultural or societal factors but reflects God's plan for the Church.
He declared definitively that the Church 'has no authority whatsoever' to ordain women as priests, a teaching that all Catholics are to accept.
Francis himself previously ruled out women ever serving as a priest in the Catholic church.
In 2016, Francis referenced the 1994 document written by John Paul II and suggested the rule would never change, telling reporters: 'Saint Pope John Paul II had the last clear word on this and it stands, this stands.'
When pressed, he added: 'If we read carefully the declaration by St John Paul II, it is going in that direction.'
The document also notes that while women can never be pope, this does not diminish women's dignity or their vital roles in the Church – but the priesthood remains male-only.
Indeed, during Francis' time as pope, he appointed more women than ever before to top Vatican positions – including making Barbara Jatta the first woman director of the Vatican Museums in 2016 and making two women part of a previously all-male committee that helps select the world's bishops.
Seemingly acknowledging that women cannot become pope, he said in 2022: 'This way, things are opening up a bit.'
The only instance where the idea of a female pope gained traction is the medieval legend of Pope Joan, a story that claimed a woman disguised as a man ruled as pope between 855 and 858.
According to the tale, Joan, a highly educated woman, concealed her gender to rise through the Church's ranks, eventually becoming pope under the name John VIII.
The legend often ends with her being discovered when she gave birth during a procession, leading to her downfall.
However, historians widely regard the story of Pope Joan as a myth. It first appeared in chronicles from the 13th century, centuries after her supposed reign, and lacks contemporary evidence from the 9th century.
Inconsistencies in the papal timeline and the absence of any credible historical record have led historians to debunk the story.
Speculation as to who will be the next pope is exactly that – speculation. However, there are some names – known as 'papabili' that are being spoken about more than others.
Often called the 'Asian Francis,' Tagle is a progressive who aligns with Pope Francis' focus on social justice and inclusion.
As pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, he has significant pastoral experience in the Philippines, where 80% of the population is Catholic.
A media-savvy nature and criticism of rhetoric toward LGBT and divorced Catholics make him a strong candidate for continuing Francis's reforms.
As Vatican secretary of state since 2013, Parolin, 70, is a moderate and seasoned diplomat who has managed key negotiations, including with China and during the Ukraine war.
Seen as a continuity candidate, the Italian could maintain Francis policies while stabilising Vatican bureaucracy.
However, conservatives have attacked him for an agreement on the appointment of bishops in communist China.
Parolin has not been especially outspoken about gay rights but he did once condemn the legalisation of same-sex marriage in many countries as 'a defeat for humanity'.
The 76-year-old from Ghana has been a prominent advocate for social justice, climate change, and poverty issues.
Turkson could become the first African pope in centuries and has previously led Vatican offices and pastoral work in Ghana.
However, his conservative views on marriage and homosexuality, alongside perceptions of media campaigning, may divide voters.
In 2023 he told the BBC he prayed 'against' the possibility that he would be elected pope but some of his detractors said that given his media appearances it appeared he was campaigning for the job.
Erdo, 72, is a conservative canon lawyer from Hungary and Archbishop of Budapest.
He may appeal to those seeking to turn their backs on progressive policies and wanting a return to traditional Church discipline.
In the last conclave in 2013, Erdo was considered a contender for pope and never publicly clashed with Francis.
However, in 2015 he did go against Francis' call for churches to take in refugees, saying this would amount to human trafficking – seemingly aligning himself with Hungary's nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban and putting him at odds with progressive cardinals.
Pope Francis' final words revealed as more details over his death emerge (Lad Bible)
Pope Francis death: What happens next? (PA Media)
A guide to Pope Francis's public viewings and funeral this week (Yahoo News)