Why can't women become a pope?

Answer 1

While the priesthood isn't technically speaking a requirement for the papacy, it is a long-standing tradition that the pope is chosen from amongst the Cardinals. The requirements for being pope are to be a baptized Catholic male over 18 years of age. So I'm afraid 15 year-old Buddhist girls won't be elected.

Answer 2

Officially there have been no women popes, because there are no women cardinals, because there are no women bishops, because there are no women priests. There are no women in any of these positions because it is church policy that they can be held by men.

Unofficially it is rumored that there was a Pope Joan (La Papessa) who reigned for three years between Leo IV (847-855) and Benedict III (855-858).

Answer 3

The Pope is the spiritual father of the Christian Church and the Bishop of the diocese of Rome. Our Blessed Lord only chose men to serve as priests, and as the Bishop of Rome must first be a priest, then the job is only open to men. Also, the Holy Father is the Vicar of Christ. Christ is a man, He chose to become incarnate as a man. There is a whole rich imaginary of Our Blessed Lord as bridegroom of His Church, which is His Bride. Thus the priest, Bishop, and most especially the Pope must be men to fulfill this role as the Bridegroom of the Church that they serve. Bottom line? That's how God set things up, the whole Christian life is a series of denial-of-self

that we must go through so that Christ can live in us, and we can die. We need to accept the way that God set things up, and start from there.

Answer 4

Because the pope must be ordained as a bishop and the church cannot ordain women as priests or bishops.