Women cannot be leaders of the Catholic Church. Catholic Christianity does not accept women as priests. What is the basis for this?

Following the death of Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, the process of electing a new pope is about to begin. The new pope will be chosen by a vote of the group of cardinals.

But according to Catholic Christianity, only men can be Popes. Why, only men can be priests in the church? One position of leadership that has continued uninterrupted on earth for the past two thousand years is that of the Pope, the leader of Catholic Christianity.

Saint Peter, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, is considered the first leader of Catholic Christianity.This task, which began with him, has continued without any break for the past two thousand years.

To date, there have been more than 250 popes. However, none of them have been women. Catholic Christianity does not allow women to become priests. Not only can they not be popes, but women cannot even be priests or bishops in the Catholic Church.

"In Catholicism, there are various steps to reach a position of spiritual leadership. First, becoming a Catholic. Later, becoming a Priest. After that, becoming a Bishop, Archbishop, and Cardinal."

"One of these cardinals will be elected pope. Women are not allowed anywhere in these ranks. Women can be nuns. They can assist priests. But they cannot be priests themselves. This has been the tradition for two thousand years. Even if the pope wants to, this tradition cannot be changed," says Cladson Xavier, a professor at Loyola College.

This has been stated many times by the late Pope Francis, who confirmed it while speaking to reporters on a plane returning from a visit in 2016. At that time, he was asked if a woman could not be Pope. In response, Pope Francis said, "Pope John Paul II made this clear. It cannot be changed." Asked again if it could not be changed, he said, "That is what you can say when you read the declaration of Pope John Paul II."

The statement to which Pope Francis refers quotes the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis written by then-Pope John Paul II in 1994. John Paul II wrote this apostolic letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church about the development of the priesthood exclusively for men and the reasons for it. In this letter, he listed various reasons why women cannot be ordained as priests.