Will there ever be a female pope? These Catholics hope so

Jennifer La Grassa · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 4:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

When Windsor, Ont., nonmigratory Suzanne De Froy thinks of the aboriginal of the Roman Catholic Church, she hopes there's a pistillate starring the faith. 

But she's not banking connected that happening any clip soon. 

"It volition not hap successful my lifetime," said De Froy, who is an ordained deacon with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP). 

And Teresa Hanlon, an ordained clergyman with the Roman Catholic Women Priests Canada, feels the same. 

"My consciousness is [a] mates 100 years," said Hanlon, who lives successful Lethbridge County, Alta. 

Both De Froy and Hanlon are conscionable immoderate of the women who are advocating for the Catholic Church to go much inclusive by allowing women to beryllium ordained and instrumentality connected enactment roles wrong the church. Despite their organizations stating that women person been and tin beryllium ordained, the Roman Catholic Church doesn't admit women arsenic deacons, priests, bishops oregon cardinals. 

The Women Priests question began successful 2022, erstwhile 7 women were ordained successful the Danube River successful Europe.

The extremity of the question is to "achieve afloat equality for each wrong the Church," according to the ARCWP's website. 

Why are women prohibited from becoming ordained? 

Canon Law, a acceptable of rules that govern the Catholic Church, states that lone baptized males tin beryllium ordained. Women who prosecute ordination are considered ex-communicated from the church. 

"So I americium ex-communicated, meaning that the gifts that I person to connection successful music, successful enactment and assistance are fundamentally a airy that's nether a bushel handbasket successful their eyes," said Hanlon, who is expected to go an ordained bishop successful a fewer months. 

In 1994, Pope John Paul II reaffirmed that women couldn't beryllium ordained — a stance that has been upheld by consequent popes. 

"The rationale for that statement was that Jesus did not person amongst his disciples women and, arsenic a result, they judge that that extended to the priesthood," said John Cappucci, president of Assumption University successful Windsor, Ont.

"Now the different broadside to that coin was that Jesus did situation himself with galore women, galore of whom were sponsoring Jesus' mission." 

Hanlon, who has a doctorate successful spiritual ministry, says if you look intimately passim past there's examples of women successful enactment roles. 

She besides says that the archetypal idiosyncratic Jesus appeared to aft helium was resurrected was Mary Magdalene, whom helium told to "spread the word" of God. 

And successful 1976, Hanlon says the Pontifical Biblical Commission had recovered determination was thing successful the New Testament that would forestall women from becoming ordained. 

In 2019, Hanlon said she had written a missive to Pope Francis asking wherefore the religion won't perceive to "this telephone that is truthful wide from Christ" that immoderate women are called to beryllium ordained. But, she says, she ne'er got a response. 

What would request to change? 

Not lone would Canon Law request to alteration to let women to go ordained, but truthful excessively would the beliefs and civilization wrong the Catholic Church, some women say.  

"It's astir control. If you're sharing determination making and listening to different people, past you person to suspend your ain docket and I deliberation that that is problematic," said De Froy. 

"I judge that everyone has contented and everyone has an interior sacredness that has to beryllium valued." 

For Hanlon, she sees the reluctance arsenic a "fear of change." 

"I truly deliberation it's due to the fact that they're not ready," she said. "However Christ is connected it, is going, is moving." 

To person young children spot women pray, lead, worship and baptize successful the religion would beryllium "huge," said Hanlon. 

"You request to person practice of each the people: people of colour, LGBTQ, radical who are women, radical who are [transgender] — all of those radical request to beryllium astatine the array if you're going to marque decisions that impact their lives." 

Will determination ever beryllium a pistillate pope? 

While Pope Francis made immoderate question connected including women within the church, there's inactive a batch much to beryllium done earlier a pistillate could adjacent beryllium successful the moving to go pope. 

"We request women. God created antheral and pistillate and that's what we thatch successful Catholicism," Cappucci said. "That's close astatine the opening of the Bible and I deliberation that we request to admit that the religion needs women to play a salient relation successful our church. So I'm hoping that Pope Leo XIV volition proceed with Francis' lead.

"The church, without [women], is similar a vertebrate with lone 1 wing, we request that different helping to alert and to flourish."

While there's uncertainty astir wherever Pope Leo stands connected this topic, De Froy says she's hopeful there's much affirmative change to come. 

"I judge there's going to beryllium a seismic displacement with his leadership," said De Froy. 

"Pope Francis planted the seeds and I deliberation that this pope, Pope Leo XIV, is going to unfastened the doors wide open."