Vatican puts exaggerated Marian devotion in its place

The Vatican is warning Catholics and theologians to overstep the boundaries of the Christian faith when it comes to the veneration of Mary. A "Doctrinal Note" published on Tuesday by Cardinal Víctor Fernández, head of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, literally targets "some Marian titles that refer to Mary's participation in the work of salvation". In the text "Mater populi fidelis" (Mother of the faithful people), the guardian of the faith clearly speaks out in favour of avoiding titles such as"Coredemptrix" or "Mediatrix of Grace" in Marian devotion and theology. The reason given is that such designations are detrimental to an "appropriate consideration of the Christian message in its harmonious entirety".

With this document, the Vatican is attempting to put an end to a debate within the Church that has been raging since the middle of the 20th century and which has gained considerable momentum since John Paul II (1978-2005). The Pope from Poland had spoken several times of "Mary as Coredemptrix" - without defining more precisely what he meant by this. However, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then guardian of the faith and later Pope Benedict XVI, had already declared in 2002 that the "formula 'Coredemptrix'" departed from the language of the Bible and caused misunderstandings. Ratzinger continued: "Mary, too, is everything she is through Christ. The word 'Coredemptrix' would obscure this origin."

Fernández, a close confidant of the late Pope Francis (2013-2025), now agrees with this argument and explains: "Given the need to explain Mary's subordinate role to Christ in the work of redemption, the use of the title of Coredemptrix is always inappropriate when it comes to defining Mary's participation in it." This title, he says, runs the risk of "obscuring Christ's unique mediation of salvation" and could therefore lead to confusion.

Caution also with the term "mediatrix"

Fernández also clearly speaks out against viewing Mary as the "mediator" of God's grace. He writes: "The role of mediation belongs exclusively to the humanity of Christ." In view of the "clarity of the revealed Word of God", "particular caution is indicated in applying the title of 'mediatrix' to Mary". The Vatican further explains: "No human person, not even the apostles or the Blessed Mother, can act as a universal dispenser of grace. Only God can grant grace, and he does so through the humanity of Christ."

Although Mary is "full of grace", she works "through a derivative and subordinate participation". Therefore, any talk about the mediation of grace through Mary must be understood in relation to the unique mediation of Christ. In the preface, Fernández explicitly points out that the text should serve to deepen Marian devotion and clarify the "place of Mary" in the light of the unique "mystery of Christ as the only mediator and redeemer". This presupposes "deep fidelity to Catholic identity and at the same time a special ecumenical endeavour". (KNA)