Mary Magdalene was falsely accused as a prostitute by Pope Gregory I in the 6th century.

The Roman Catholic Church took it back 1,400 years later in the 1960’s since there isn’t a passage in the Bible that directly states this. Their reasoning for Pope Gregory’s accusation was to show how Jesus will redeem and love anyone - no matter how deeply they have sinned. They used her as an example to give hope to those who have heavily sinned. Another perspective is that the Church is strongly patriarchal and intentionally oppressed and downplayed Mary Magdalene instead of giving her the high veneration she deserved for being one of the only apostles present with Jesus during the crucifixion, and the first one to see him after the resurrection. Not to mention her leadership role and close relationship with Jesus written about in the Gnostic Gospels. This patriarchal oppression is also validated when we see the number of churches dedicated to her worldwide is significantly less than other apostles.

However, it is hopeful to see how in 2016, Pope Frances elevated her from being seen as merely a repentant sinner and bestowed on her the title - “Apostle of the Apostles”, giving her the same rank as the 12 Apostles. He also honored her with an official Feast Day on July 22.

As a side note - the Orthodox Church has always honored her as “Equal-to-the-apostles” for centuries, never considered her as a prostitute and didn’t focus on her penitence.

I’ve noticed that there’s much confusion when it comes to the history of Mary Magdalene for Christians and non-Christians alike and along with the recent emergence of Mary Magdalene’s role in divine feminine spirituality, I thought I’d offer some clarity about this beautiful and impactful soul (who’s still being discussed 2,000 years after her death) for those who are interested.

She’s known as the “myrrh-bearer” or “Perfume Master” in some Christian traditions. And she’s associated with the one who anointed Jesus’ feet and head with oil, washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

Personally, she’s the embodiment of devotion, unconditional love and the counterpart of the sacred union of the divine feminine and masculine energies which lie within us all. A symbol for feminine spiritual authority, inner sovereignty and the reclamation of the priestess.