Than why imply so in the article? Wouldn't it be more accurate to describe the woman as someone who, against the teachings of the Church, prayed to the pope?
People in heaven are not dead, unless you believe that Christ spoke to dead people at the transfiguration and that the book of Revelation is wild allegory in describing the saints in heaven offering bowls of prayers before the Throne.
Randall stated that the woman he spoke to had prayed to the pope - that’s it. No implication that the RCC teaches people to do.
As I said about praying to dead people - I defined them as having died the first death. They would still be on planet earth if their body hadn’t died. All the saints in heaven have died the first death, save Enoch (Gen 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11).