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

When Windsor, Ont., resident Suzanne De Froy thinks of the future of the Roman Catholic Church, she hopes there's a woman leading the faith. 

But she's not banking on that happening any time soon. 

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

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

"My sense is [a] couple hundred years," said Hanlon, who lives in Lethbridge County, Alta. 

Both De Froy and Hanlon are just some of the women who are advocating for the Catholic Church to become more inclusive by allowing women to be ordained and take on leadership roles within the church. Despite their organizations stating that women have been and can be ordained, the Roman Catholic Church doesn't recognize women as deacons, priests, bishops or cardinals. 

The Women Priests movement began in 2002, when seven women were ordained in the Danube River in Europe.

The goal of the movement is to "achieve full equality for all within the Church," according to the ARCWP's website. 

Why are women prohibited from becoming ordained? 

Canon Law, a set of rules that govern the Catholic Church, states that only baptized males can be ordained. Women who pursue ordination are considered ex-communicated from the church. 

"So I am ex-communicated, meaning that the gifts that I have to offer in music, in leadership and scholarship are basically a light that's under a bushel basket in their eyes," said Hanlon, who is expected to become an ordained bishop in a few months. 

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

"The rationale for that argument was that Jesus did not have amongst his disciples women and, as a result, they believe that that extended to the priesthood," said John Cappucci, president of Assumption University in Windsor, Ont.

"Now the other side to that coin was that Jesus did surround himself with many women, many of whom were sponsoring Jesus' mission." 

Hanlon, who has a doctorate in religious ministry, says if you look closely throughout history there's examples of women in leadership roles. 

She also says that the first person Jesus appeared to after he was resurrected was Mary Magdalene, whom he told to "spread the word" of God. 

And in 1976, Hanlon says the Pontifical Biblical Commission had found there was nothing in the New Testament that would prevent women from becoming ordained. 

In 2019, Hanlon said she had written a letter to Pope Francis asking why the church won't listen to "this call that is so clear from Christ" that some women are called to be ordained. But, she says, she never got a response. 

What would need to change? 

Not only would Canon Law need to change to allow women to become ordained, but so too would the beliefs and culture within the Catholic Church, both women say.  

"It's about control. If you're sharing decision making and listening to other people, then you have to suspend your own agenda and I think that that is problematic," said De Froy. 

"I believe that everyone has wisdom and everyone has an inner sacredness that has to be valued." 

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

"I really think it's because they're not ready," she said. "However Christ is on it, is going, is moving." 

To have young children see women pray, lead, worship and baptize in the church would be "huge," said Hanlon. 

"You need to have representation of all the people: people of colour, LGBTQ, people who are women, people who are [transgender] — all of those people need to be at the table if you're going to make decisions that affect their lives." 

Will there ever be a female pope? 

While Pope Francis made some movement on including women within the church, there's still a lot more to be done before a woman could even be in the running to become pope. 

"We need women. God created man and woman and that's what we teach in Catholicism," Cappucci said. "That's right at the beginning of the Bible and I think that we need to recognize that the church needs women to play a prominent role in our church. So I'm hoping that Pope Leo XIV will continue with Francis' lead.

"The church, without [women], is like a bird with only one wing, we need that other wing to fly and to flourish."

While there's uncertainty around where Pope Leo stands on this topic, De Froy says she's hopeful there's more positive change to come. 

"I believe there's going to be a seismic shift with his leadership," said De Froy. 

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