Throughout the 2,000 year long history of the Catholic Church, female priests have not been accepted.
The argument has historically been that Christ did not have female deciples, and therefore a female priest would not be in accordance with his practice. Allthough Mary Magdalene by many is considered to be one of Christ's deciples, and a very special one, this theory has never led to a change in the woman priest debate.
As the largest religion in the world, Kolby uses the lack of female priests in the Catholic Church as an example on inequality in society. Some 85 % of all positions in the organization of the Catholic Church are held by women, but they are never the less not allowed to enter the clergy.
By painting a woman Cardinal, Kolby thematizes this topic with the famous visual figure in the history of art. Cardinal portraits have been commisioned for many centuries, and Kolby uses the classical style of the portrait to suggest a normality in the motif.
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests work for this equality question:
