The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1906-11-17
POPESs JOAN.

TST Zoo JUAN
Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov 10, 1906
lhtermountain Catholic: In a recent
conversation, a gentleman made the as
sertlon that ''the Catholic church at one
Tune had a woman Pope" 1 denied
ms when he urged that history
proved the fact Not knowing how to
convince him of his error. 1 now ask
you If you will kindly furnish me,
through the columns of your most eX-
cellent paper, sufficient information to
retute this statement. thereby greatly
obliging CONSTANT READER.
The first thought that comes to US on
reading this query and statement is one
OF keen regret that such tale could
be harbored in the mind of any intel
lgent person Of this age 1t will be adj
Vlsable to compel an individual who
makes an assertion and endeavors TO
substantiate it with the sweeping as
sertion that history proves it, TO
specify what history of any merit con-
tains the facts bearing on the subject
under discussion
This story had it's origin
among men who hated i'm an unchrist-
like manner everything Catholic. 1t has
all the ear marks of fiction. The very
TACT that no mention is made of it in
any history until the year 1910, which
is 400 vars after the alleged occupd-
ton of the papal chair of Peter by a
woman ought to be sufficient refuta-
ton for the majority of people
Martinas Polonas, who died in 1878
mentions this fable in his Chronicle and
Stephen of Bourbon, who died in 1861,
also refers to it,
PhOtiuS, who was raised to the see of
ConstantinOple by Michael Ill. was 4
man of science and genius and the lead
er of the Greek Schism in the ninth
century. He hated with terrible hate
Catholicity, yet he does not mention the
story of the Popess. Notwithstanding
she was alleged to have reigned in the
same century in which Photius lived
and died
In the year $50, July II, Pope Leo ".
died and Benedict Ill was elected the
same month and consecrated Septembe~
20 of the same year. yet the two years
and a half that this female pope is said
to have reigned must be between the
death and accession of Leo ". and
Benedict III. 1t is established beyond
a doubt that the fable was interpreted
into the works of Anas tasius the Lii
brarian of the ninth century and Mar
Janus Scotus of the eleventh century.
Protestant writer's admit this story
of the popess to be all rot, Blondel,
Barnage, Burnet, Cave, Leibnitz,
Bayle, Casanbon and Jurieu. Says
Bayle, Protestant historian:
only a crazy or drunken man would
tell us that on the death of Innocent
X. he was at once succeeded by Alex
ander VII, and that Innocent XI. be
came Pope Immediately after Innocent
X, reigning more than two years, and
being succeeded by Alexander VII. Yet
such is the absurdity of which Anas
tasius the Librarian would have been
guilty had he written what is found
concerning the PJpess in some of the
MSS. of his work. We must conclude
therefore that another hand than his
added the passages concerning this Wo
man. GS).
There is no valid reason for believing
this absurd story which is unsupported
by and reliable historical evidence, but
it is useless to try to disabuse anyone's
mind of stuff of which this fable is
composed. for We have discovered by
bitter experience that many people will
stubbornly hold as gospel anything that
tends to cast rdicule or falsebCod IN
the Catholic church 1t is therefore
only waste of time to argue with such
p9oplc and hurtful to ouro WI peace of
mind. If an individual wishes to be
iieve this story or anything similar,
why rob him f the pleasure he enjoys?
If we see a man formerly endowed with
fine intellect strolling up and down
the grounds of any insane asylum NUT
tering to himself. believing he is a
king, why should be care to rob him of
mis- insanity when it makes him happy
end so having SO many troubles of OR
own We would not even steal from any
mortal the delicious mite of satisfaction
he enjoys by, rolling under his tongue
bigoted anti-Catholic lie. Rev. Reu-'
ben Parsons work on this subject
would furnish a better repetition as we
have neither the space nor the time
to go into the matter fully, besides, is
it worth while?