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ABC-TV DISCOVERS “POPE JOAN”
Catholic League ^ | December 29, 2005 | Bill Donohue

Posted on 12/29/2005 11:45:43 AM PST by NYer

Tonight, ABC’s “Primetime” will air a segment, “On the Trail of Pope Joan,” that raises questions about the possible existence of Pope Joan.  Catholic League president Bill Donohue weighed in today:

 

“ABC has been busy questioning the divinity of Jesus for years, what with its infamous ‘Search for Jesus’ specials.  In May of this year, it went back to the well again with a ‘20/20’ episode questioning the resurrection of Jesus.  Correspondent Elizabeth Vargas told viewers: ‘Whether the resurrection proclaimed by the disciples was physical, metaphysical, or simply a hallucination—the dreams of grieving followers,’ is not known.  In other words, Christians have likely been duped.  And tonight we learn that we’ve been duped again—a woman pope ruled in the ninth century.

 

“Diane Sawyer not only wants us to believe in Pope Joan, she takes us to exact street where she processed.  ‘Fact or Fiction’ she exclaims!  Indeed, Sawyer tells us that Pope Joan gave birth while processing.  Pope Joan, she says, dressed in male garb, but this is not an historical anomaly: Sawyer shows us a picture of a woman dressed as a soldier in the U.S. Civil War and then proclaims, ‘Which brings us back to Joan.’  But of course.  Another segue could have been little girls dressed up as GI Joe on Halloween, but that might have unsettled the sure-mouthed Sawyer.

 

“Sawyer does not interview either Paul Johnson, the world renowned historian and author of ‘The Papacy,’ nor does she interview Eamon Duffy, the brilliant historian from Cambridge and author of the magisterial volume, ‘Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes.’  Had she done so they would have laughed in her smug face.  So who does she rely on?  Donna Cross and Mary Malone.  Cross wrote a novel about the mythical Pope Joan and has no standing among scholars.  Malone is an ex-nun who lost her faith and hates the Catholic Church.  ‘I can no longer pray,’ she said in 1996, ‘because of the language, and because it seemed so essential as the core of the tradition that God be male.’

 

“In other words, ABC’s gospel has no room for Jesus but plenty of room for Pope Joan.  We could squeeze more truth from a used-car salesman than we could from these people.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: abc; abcnews; catholic; dianesawyer; jesus; pope; popejoan; resurrection; revisionism; urbanlegend
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To: wideawake

Ah, Marozia. She was reported to be the mistress of one pope, mother of another and grandmother to yet another.


61 posted on 12/29/2005 5:42:57 PM PST by Jaded (The truth shall set you free, but lying to yourself turns you French.)
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To: All

Another reason why I'm glad that I don't watch Prime Time.


62 posted on 12/29/2005 6:29:15 PM PST by Sun (Hillary Clinton is pro-ILLEGAL immigration. Don't let her fool you. She has a D- /F immigr. rating.)
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To: Phantom Lord

Do you have a link or are you just spouting anti-catholic hatred?


63 posted on 12/29/2005 6:34:46 PM PST by defconw (Allen/Pence2008 Merry MOOSEMUSS!)
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To: NYer

They gather around them teachers who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear. The end times continue...


64 posted on 12/29/2005 6:43:29 PM PST by Mr. Silverback (Rhythm and system and world control, magnetic, genetic, to match your soul.)
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To: adam_az

When you get comments like that, it's hard to know which side to believe.


65 posted on 12/29/2005 6:47:02 PM PST by bigsigh
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To: NYer

I am with the Catholics on this one.

ABC is sinking to a ridiculous low with crap like this.

And they are interviewing people with a vendetta against the Catholic Church. Of course they are going to claim Pope Joan existed!

But, she didn't.


66 posted on 12/29/2005 6:50:49 PM PST by rwfromkansas (http://www.xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
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To: NYer

For all the things that I believe is wrong with the RCC, they have had one thing right at least.....males only in leadership!

Pope Joan is nothing but fiction.


67 posted on 12/29/2005 6:51:44 PM PST by rwfromkansas (http://www.xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
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To: Owl_Eagle

I hated MNF since it always pushed off Jimmy Kimmel and Seinfeld reruns.

I am glad it is going to ESPN, that is for sure. I don't watch anything on ABC except Jimmy Kimmel and Seinfeld.

It used to be the network I watched the most and CBS used to suck, but the situation is exactly the opposite. ABC just flat blows.


68 posted on 12/29/2005 6:53:27 PM PST by rwfromkansas (http://www.xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
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To: Red Badger

There is more proof that Mohammed was a molestor than there was a Pope Joan, ergo the MSM will ignore this!


69 posted on 12/29/2005 6:54:57 PM PST by lexington minuteman 1775
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To: wideawake
John XII .... he behaved exactly like a typical petty nobleman of his day, instead of taking his responsibilities seriously.

Most petty noblemen drew the line at incest.

70 posted on 12/29/2005 7:48:28 PM PST by Oztrich Boy (so natural to mankind is intolerance in whatever they really care about - J S Mill)
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To: Blzbba
LMAO
71 posted on 12/29/2005 10:50:11 PM PST by civis ("Paging Hillaire Belloc!")
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To: Gordongekko909

They can attack christians we don't make a habit of throwing bombs


72 posted on 12/30/2005 1:22:05 AM PST by GeronL (http://flogerloon.blogspot.com)
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To: NYer
Catholics, stand up for the Church! Boycott this program. Watch EWTN instead.
73 posted on 12/30/2005 4:12:31 AM PST by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: Phantom Lord
With the way the Papacy was handed out in extreme nepotism in the early years of the catholic church, a female pope is a possibility, but very unlikely.

There goes your credibility.

74 posted on 12/30/2005 4:14:14 AM PST by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: rwfromkansas
For all the things that I believe is wrong with the RCC, they have had one thing right at least.....males only in leadership!

FYI, the reason for male priests is that the priests act in the person of Christ when administering the sacraments. This is why Pope John Paul II said that the authority to allow female priests doesn't belong to the Church. Christ chose only men as his Apostles.

75 posted on 12/30/2005 4:21:28 AM PST by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: Oztrich Boy
There were sinful popes. There were also far more saintly popes. Your point is what?

Hypocrisy?

Catholics claim to be sinners in need of redemption and sanctification.

That there shouldn't be sinful clergy?

Jesus chose Judas as one of the original 12 Apostles.

Matthew 13:24-29

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

'An enemy did this,' he replied.

"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "


76 posted on 12/30/2005 4:29:40 AM PST by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: Blzbba

From wikipedia:>>

Oh, so it MUST be TRUE! :-/ :0)


77 posted on 12/30/2005 4:33:02 AM PST by Appalled but Not Surprised
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To: rwfromkansas
Pope Joan is nothing but fiction.

Yes, and no ... imho. I was curious so I watched the show last night. It presented absolutely no scholarly evidence that Pope Joan existed, and the pro-Joan "experts" it relied on did little but discredit the case ABC/Sawyer were trying to make.

What I did come away with was a reinforcement of my own belief that while there was no "Pope Joan", at some point back in the 11th or 12th century the Church itself thought the myth was true (this was pointed out by one of the countering experts ABC/Sawyer used to present the 'con' argument) ... and as a result took actions that helped perpetuate the myth down into the modern era.

Which is understandable, considering all of the intrigue and scandal that swirled around the Papacy at about that time.
78 posted on 12/30/2005 4:36:23 AM PST by tanknetter
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To: Oztrich Boy
Most petty noblemen drew the line at incest.

Except, of course, there is not the slightest bit of evidence that he did so.

And yes, one contemporary accused him of it - but one accusation by a personal enemy is one accusation by a personal enemy.

79 posted on 12/30/2005 5:00:58 AM PST by wideawake
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To: adam_az
You sure? I thought he just screwed them one at a time, including widows, his fathers concubine, and his neice?

That's one guy's story. All accounts of the man pretty much agree that he carried on a long-term affair with the widow of one of his political rivals. That stuff about his dad's mistress and his own niece is only claimed by one source who had a serious axe to grind.

John XII sure was a vile character, though.

80 posted on 12/30/2005 5:05:31 AM PST by wideawake
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