The world has been saddened by the news of Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday. This has now started the process of choosing the next Pope, a special task done by the Catholic Church’s Cardinals.

These Cardinals will soon gather in the Sistine Chapel, located in Vatican City, to vote and choose a new Pope. This election follows special Church rules and traditions that have been followed for many years.

One rule in this process is very clear: only men can become Pope. This is because, in the Catholic Church, only men are allowed to become priests, and only a priest can be chosen as Pope.

A law in the Church called Canon 1024 says that only baptised men can become priests. And since being a priest is needed to become the Pope, women are not allowed to hold this position.

The history behind this rule

This rule comes from a belief that Jesus chose only men to be his closest followers, known as apostles. Those apostles then picked other men to keep the Church going. Because of this, the Catholic Church has followed this male-only tradition for more than 2,000 years.

Rev. Thomas Reese, who works at Georgetown University, explained it simply. He said, “A woman is barred from becoming pope because the position requires ordination, and women are not allowed to become priests.”

While today only priests are chosen as Pope, this wasn’t always the case. A long time ago, in 1455, Pope Callixtus III was chosen even though he wasn’t a priest yet. And in 1378, Urban VI became Pope even though he wasn’t a cardinal (a high-level priest).

But these are very old examples, and now the Church follows a stricter process that almost always includes Cardinals who are already priests.

In 1994, Pope John Paul II made it clear that women could not become priests. Since then, other Popes, including Pope Francis, have continued to support this rule.

In 2023, Pope Francis wrote in a Spanish book called “El Pastor” that the Church’s rule about not ordaining women as priests remains the same. He said the Church still follows what Jesus started, by choosing men to be his apostles.

 

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