Was There A Female Pope?

There has been argument for centuries over whether or not a woman posing as a man--John Anglicus--became Pope in the 9th century.  The argument is fascinating because both sides can present circumstantial evidence to support their claims.  However, like most scholarly debate about people and events from a millennium ago, it's unlikely that there will ever be any definitive proof one way or the other.

All sides agree that "Pope Joan" as she is called would have had to disguise herself as a man in order to ascend through the ranks and ultimately become the Pope.  There are documented instances of cross-dressing in the Middle Ages, within and outside of the Catholic Church.  There is a professor of  medieval studies at Southern Methodist University, Valerie Hotchkiss, who has written about several women who pretended to be men, became monks, and some actually achieved sainthood. 

Of course, the most well-documented and well-known case is that of Joan of Arc, though her case is atypical.  On only one occasion did she dress in male clothing with the intent to deceive: before she began her military campaign on behalf of Charles VII she had to be smuggled through enemy territory to reach him.  Beyond that, she dressed in male clothing and armor because all of the ties necessary to secure the armor and garments actually offered her greater protection against rape than a woman's dress.  In fact, when she was imprisoned and guarded by British (male) guards, she continued to wear male clothing for that reason, even though that was ultimately the charge that was used to justify her conviction for heresy.

Returning to the female Pope Joan, the tale of her papacy, which supposedly was just over two years in length, ends in disgrace.  Manuscripts describe how, in the midst of a papal procession in Rome, she began suffering abdominal pains and, to the horror of those around her, gave birth.  Some manuscripts say she and the infant were stoned to death; others say she was cloistered in a convent and the child, a son, eventually became bishop of Ostia

So, do we believe writings that do not begin to appear until the 1200's regarding a female pope, or do we believe the fact that there are no documents contemporary to her papacy, or anything from the Vatican's secret archives, supporting the assertion that a female was ever elected Pope?  Was it possibly a case of a woman successfully masquerading as a man who was able to ascend in the Church hierarchy to some degree, perhaps as a secretary to a cardinal, and the story became embellished over the years?  Or were there no "official" or secret documents because any evidence was destroyed out of fear that the truth would prove the Church was fallible, thereby destroying it's divine authority? Or was it merely allegory, a cautionary tale to warn women of the dangers of discontent with their role in medieval society?

.