Who was this mysterious Pope Joan, and did she really exist? Needless to say, all 266 popes are male. Textual References To the Female Pope . The earliest reference to a popess can be found in the 11th-century writing of Martinus Scotus, a monk from the Abbey of St. Martin of Cologne: ... “A certain shameless strumpet called Theodora at one time was sole monarch of Rome and — shame though it is to write it — exercised power like a man. The current pope, Francis I, is the 265 th successor of St. Peter. The pope has always been a male, so there is no gender specific noun for a female pope. Yet, during the middle ages, there existed a story about a pope who was actually a female in disguise. Would a female Pope be a Popess, Queen or a Nope. Well, there would be no title for a female Pope because women cannot be priests. I think the the election of a female do wonders for the image of the Catholic Church and would do much to repair the huge damage caused to the credibility of the Vatican in recent months. It is impossible according to Catholic theology and since this is something that has been believed since the time of the apostles, it is an infallible teaching. The legend uses the noun "pope". The name of this supposed female pope was Joan. There is a legend of a "Pope Joan" holding office during the middle ages.