The Popess: true or false?

It may seem strange the idea of a woman guiding the Catholic Church, isn’t it?
I thought it too, but then I heard the story of the Popess Joan. 

The legend

Born in Mainz, Joan was an English noblewoman who fell in love with a Benedictine monk. She dressed like a man and followed him in his trips, from Mainz to Athens. Around the year 855 Joanne arrived in Rome and, thanks to her knowledge, she was elected pope with the name John VIII. Joan ruled for almost three years.
Unfortunately she got pregnant: during the Easter procession, close to the Basilica of San Clemente, she went into labor.
Romans didn’t took it well and stoned her to death. 

Historical sources

According to the majority this is only a legend, since none of the official records mentions Joanne.
The first person who published the story of the Popess was the Dominican John from Metz in 1240. Also Martin of Opava wrote about Joanne, explaining why the Easter procession in Rome never included the area where she gave birth to the baby.
Stephen of Bourbon, on the other hand, confirms a story similar to Joan’s, but settled in 1100. 

Women and Church

Despite the papacy was – and it still is – off-limit for women, they could actually take up a religious career.
The journalist Peter Stanford, in his books, explains how Joanne wasn’t the first one. For example, Saint Cuthburh, first Abbess of Wimborne Minster or Hilda, founding Abbess of the monastery at Whitby.
Women could choose between many religious order: powerful, cultured, nothing could stop them.

In conclusion

Historians agree the Popess is a satire against the Pope, based on the three biggest fears of Catholic Religion:
1) a Pope who doesn’t respect celibacy;
2) a woman controlling and ruling over men;
3) a deceit hidden in the hearth of the Church.