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SPECIAL: Pope Joan: 12/29/05
$29.95 (Item #S051229M)In the ninth century, did a woman do the unimaginable -- disguise herself as a man and win the throne of the Catholic Church? The legend of Pope Joan -- who historians say called herself Pope John Anglicus -- is supported by clues in several examples of art and architecture found in Italy. But did a female Pope really live and reign for two and half years -- before she went into childbirth in the middle of a papal procession? Diane Sawyer explores her existence, described in church chronicles - some say there are clues all over Europe, including the Vatican itself.
Diane Sawyer takes audiences through mystery and intrigue on the trail of Pope Joan. Ancient histories of the church say this woman learned the language of scholars, Greek and Latin, and became 'proficient in a diversity of branches of knowledge.' Accounts say she was 'led to Athens dressed in the clothes of a man by a certain lover of hers.' And then, as 500 chronicles recount, she made her way to Rome. As to her existence, stories point to literature and art; perhaps most intriguing is said to be a papal coronation chair that could have been used to guarantee that no female ever became Pope again.
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