The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-11
THE ALLEGED FEMALE POPE.
The Ancient Tradition Relating to the
Existence of Popess Joanna.
Her Occupancy of the Pontifcal Chair Dis
credited By Clerics-hasquerading in Male
Attire and Deceiying People Of All Kinds

tinguished author Of the Eternal City to make
use in a novel which he is about to publish OF
the tradition of the Popess Joanna. Persistent
intercession is made to the censor for the pro-
hibition of the publication. this censor on many
other occasions having proven his attachment to
the cause of religious morality However. as
this Popess has been figuring for long time, if
not in actual history, in the aegorical literature
of the middle ages it is probable she will now
have an airing, at least, in the transitory htera
ture of the period.
In the 'Reyeres of the Old Pilgrim by Phi.
dc Maizieres. which appeared in 1889, the Queen
Verify is made to say
I'm the court of Rome l have seen woman
ruling who came from England"
During the present century prodigious efforts
have been made at Rome to refute this tradition,
which its promulgators declare rests upon histor-
real data That those interested should be
anxious to suppress this tradition may be be-
heved when it is known that the doctrines upon
WHICH papal authority is founded would receive
incAicuable injury should the story be proven,
the high dignitaries of the church insisting that
the successor of St Peter has received and trans
mitted from one Pope to the next the power of
absolution, and that at every vacation of the
pontifeial seat the Holy Ghost descends and
9nlngleS WlIn tne eiecLorS Ior tn9 purpose OF Ill
recting and enlighrening them upon the next
choice to be made. 1t would. therefore, appear
that upon this occasion the Holy Ghost was di-
verted from His purpose by simple woman,
little thinking that this diversion, or lack of per-
epicaeity, would result in such serious conse-
qrences to the establishment OF the continuity of
those agust powers of which the Popes claim to
have been the depositaries since Jesus Christ.
The following, in the fewest words is the best
accredited version Of the traditions: Joanna was
hoe ham Aorxa NJ
but called herself English from her passionate
attachment to an English monk from the abbey
of Feldens, whom she followed to Athens. Her
given name was Gilberta. In order to prevent
scandal while attending her lover, who died in
Athens she dressed in masculine at
tire. Subsequently she repaired to
Rome where she soon rose in high
esteem and celebrity through her varied knowl-
edge and special talent in deciphering and inter
preting Holy Writ. No one having suspected
her sex. upon the death of Leon w. which hap
pened ia $50, Joanna was elected Pope, govern
ing two years and some months The people of
Rome never dreamed she woman until
the time of her DEATH which occurred from the
premature birth Of child while marching in
o procession from the Coliseum to the st.
Jean de Lateran. Reports of the paternity of
the child are conflicting According to one au-
thority he was high dignitary of the church;
to others, but common valet Her remains
were refused the honors accorded to deceased
Popes and a mark of execration professions
never again passed through that street to reach
st. Jean de Latran's. This, with slight vara~
tions, but without affecting the main points of
the story was the version believed in for num-
Der of centuries. All chroniclers of the four
tenth century mention the incident without
reserve.
Boccaccio in his first volume of Celebrated
Women" gives vivid description of this Pope at
the critical moment in the procession when about
to be borne away, which verse has been trans
lated from the Latin into old French, as follows
Jane, scavante dol scavante sainctes lettres
Par grand subtitle fut de nom pape fafct;
Mais ayant enfante mieu de pretres,
Montra bien quelle etait femme effsict
Boceaccio in his narrative had the woman die
in prison, but it is well known that this waggish
writer often had recourse to his imagination for
effects
Baptiste, monk of Mantua, also put into
verse this tradition, choosing another mode of
death for her
Jev en- un gibet ceste fine fenelle
Qni, travestie homme ct feignant saint zele,
Jusqui' au siege papal par estait montee;
Or await sur son chef cette pute effrontee,
lie triple diademe eft SON paillard estait
Aupres dele pendu qui son NAL detestat
Another monk named Martin, in his chronicles
entitled. Flores Temporum," asserts that this
Joanna conjured demon and asked him when
he intended to leave the world. to which he re-
Piled:
'Dis-moi quand une papesse enfantera, ct je
to dirai quand jen sortirai"
dtudaSo iu ouEHdhys lcUroScntfuS ooduua
with child in her arms were to be seen until
the latter part of the fifteenth century and from
the eighth century until Pope Pho II-almost six
hundred years-the existence of Pope Joanna
was not contradicted, and it was not until the
violent controversies os the Reformation that
doubts began to arise as to her identity.
The Catholic clergy have received great COM
fort from the fact that Protestants join them in
in denying the authenticity of this tradition,
among them the famous Blondel being the most
frequently cited. Unfortunately for the fair
ness of Blonde who lived in the time of Louis
XIV, it is known that he was not pattern of
exactness in his writings being too much in
clned to please the monarch of the times.
Bayle treated the story with prejudiced partial
ity, appearing to give to certain documents only
relative credit. Muratori treats the tradition
of Pope Joanna as fable, but it must
not be forgotten that Muratori gave his opinion
on the day following one of the most violent con-
trcversies which had ever been held between the
partisans OF opposing views. Cantu and Dol
linger have followed in the opinion of Muratori
but Cantu is suspected, and Dolingcr has re-
tracted 30 many errors that he might as well re-
tract this oue Against these is Branchi Giovini,
who has written the history of the Popes from
the most recent researches and says he has not
the slightest doubt of the existence G. rope joan
ma. To full calculation of the fact, quotations
from hlstriographers should be cited, but lack of
space allows simply resume of the facts and
principal documents in the order of their dates
Anastasus was the first chronicler who mentioned
the election of the Popess Joanna. He was a
writer most worthy of credence, and was con
temporaneous with Joanna, his history of the
Popes reaching to Nicholas I, the second Pontiff
elected after her. In his Office of Roman able,
Anastasius was ir position to know the truth
as he related incidents in connection with the
affair of which he had been an eyewitness and
10. from hearsay Several editions of Anas-
tasiuss chronology contained the statement in
reference to the Pontiff Joanna The most
known authority, however, is the chronology
preserved in the kings library, of which Lesneur
speaks ia his Ecclesiastical History" and
Colomesius in his Historical Melanges" Other
copies are IN existence at Augsburg and Milan of
Anastasius's chronology
The Catholic writer's who cannot controyert
the authority of Anastasius have attributed
the passage referring to Pope Joanna as fraud
of the heretcs They claim that these passages
were found only on the margins of the manu-
script, which had been added afterwarc. How