Mary and the Meaning of Redemption
Reflections on Pope Leo XIV’s Decision to Drop the Titles Co-Redemptrix and Co-Mediatrix
By Chris M. Forte
When the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released its new doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis (“Mother of the Faithful People of God”) on November 4, 2025, I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. For years I had loved Mary deeply, prayed the Rosary daily, and defended her honor — yet something about the popular titles Co-Redemptrix and Co-Mediatrix always made me uneasy.
I understood the good intentions behind them: Catholics wanted to emphasize Mary’s unique cooperation in salvation, her “yes” at the Annunciation that allowed the Word to take flesh. But the words themselves — co-redeemer, co-mediator — seemed to blur a vital line, one the Church has always guarded with vigilance: Christ alone redeems; Christ alone mediates.
1. What the Church Actually Taught
The Vatican’s new note, approved by Pope Leo XIV, makes that distinction crystal clear. It affirms everything Catholics truly believe about Mary — her immaculate grace, her maternal intercession, her intimate participation in Christ’s redemptive work — while decisively rejecting language that confuses her role with His.
“Christ alone is the sole Redeemer; there are no co-redeemers with Christ.” — Mater Populi Fidelis, §22
“Mary’s maternal mediation… derives entirely from the mediation of Christ and depends wholly upon it.” — ibid., §23
The document stresses that using the word co- (from Latin cum, “with”) can easily be misunderstood in English to mean equal to — a problem already noted by theologians as far back as the 16th century.
As the Catechism itself says:
“Mary’s function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power.” — CCC §970
That’s the balance — honor without confusion.
2. A Question of Words — and Witness
For me, the issue was never devotion but clarity. When Protestants hear Co-Redemptrix, they often assume Catholics are saying Mary “saved the world with Jesus.” I’ve heard the charge countless times: “You people worship Mary.”
Even C.S. Lewis, an Anglican sympathetic to Marian honor, warned that “exaggerations and unauthorized devotions may drive good men further from Rome than her doctrines themselves.” (Letters to Malcolm, 1964)
So when Pope Leo XIV said these titles “risk obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation,” I couldn’t help nodding. The Church is not downgrading Mary; she is defending Christ.
3. Scripture’s Balance
Scripture itself draws that same boundary with beauty and precision.
-
1 Timothy 2:5 — “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
-
Luke 1:38 — “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.”
-
John 19:26-27 — From the Cross, Christ gives Mary to John, and through him to all believers: “Behold your mother.”
Mary’s greatness lies not in competing with Christ but in perfectly cooperating with Him — the humble “handmaid,” not the co-equal redeemer.
The early Fathers saw it that way too. St Irenaeus (2nd century) wrote,
“The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.” (Against Heresies 3.22.4)
That line inspired centuries of Marian theology, yet even Irenaeus never calls Mary a redeemer — she is the instrument of obedience through whom the Redeemer comes.
4. The Fathers and the Councils
The Council of Ephesus (431 AD) called Mary Theotokos — “God-bearer,” not “Co-God.” It was never about rivalry with Christ but about defending His divinity.
As St Ambrose said,
“Mary’s life is a rule for all… she bore the Lord of heaven, not as His equal but as His servant.” (De Virginibus 2.2.6)
Even the medieval theologians who most exalted Mary, such as St Bernard of Clairvaux and St Bonaventure, were careful:
“Let her be praised, but let the praise not obscure the Redeemer’s glory.” (Sermon on the Twelve Stars)
This is the same caution we hear now from Pope Leo XIV and the DDF: love Mary, but don’t confuse the reflection for the sun.
5. How We Got Here
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, devotion to Mary flourished. Many saints — including St Maximilian Kolbe — used the term Co-Redemptrix in private writings to express her deep cooperation with Christ. But these were poetic expressions, not dogmatic definitions.
By the late 20th century, movements arose urging the Vatican to proclaim Co-Redemptrix as a fifth Marian dogma. Popes John Paul II and Francis both declined. John Paul used the title poetically in a few homilies but explicitly stated in Redemptoris Mater (1987) that Mary’s role “does not obscure but rather emphasizes the unique mediation of Christ.” Francis later warned that calling her Co-Redemptrix “diminishes the dignity of Christ’s work.” (Homily, Dec 12 2019)
Now Pope Leo XIV has closed the question definitively: the term should not be used theologically.
6. The Historical and Ecumenical Context
Modern theologians of every tradition have wrestled with this language.
-
Hans Urs von Balthasar, a Catholic theologian, called Co-Redemptrix “theologically correct in intent but pastorally dangerous.”
-
Jaroslav Pelikan, the Lutheran historian of doctrine, noted that “the Orthodox and Catholic traditions honor Mary as the first and greatest disciple, not as a partner in redemption.” (Mary Through the Centuries, 1996)
-
Even Protestant scholars like N.T. Wright have conceded that “honoring Mary as the obedient servant of the Incarnation is thoroughly biblical,” but warn that conflating her role with Christ’s “blurs the radical uniqueness of the Cross.”
The Church’s clarification thus helps not only Catholics but the whole Christian world by removing a stumbling block that caused scandal and misunderstanding for centuries.
7. My Reflection
I’ll be honest: when I first heard the word Co-Redemptrix, it made me uncomfortable. Not because I doubted Mary’s holiness — but because I knew how easily those words could be twisted.
I’ve heard Protestants mock Catholics for “making Mary another savior.” I’ve seen memes and pamphlets claiming Catholics “deify” her. And while those accusations were rooted in ignorance or prejudice, I had to admit that the titles themselves didn’t help. They sounded like theological landmines waiting to go off.
So yes — I’m happy about this decision. Not because I want less Marian devotion, but because I want truer Marian devotion. I want the world to see what we really believe: that Mary magnifies the Lord — she doesn’t compete with Him.
The Church’s wisdom here preserves both love and truth. Mary’s power and beauty lie in her humility. She is the mirror of grace, not its source; the gate of heaven, not its foundation.
And that makes her more glorious, not less.
8. Mary’s True Greatness
The title the Vatican now recommends — Mater Populi Fidelis, “Mother of the Faithful” — strikes exactly the right note. It echoes the ancient titles:
-
Theotokos (Mother of God)
-
Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church)
-
Queen of Heaven
-
Advocate of Grace
Each one proclaims what Mary is without pretending she is what she’s not.
As St Augustine put it long ago:
“She is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ.” (Sermon 25)
That’s the kind of Marian theology the world needs — one that unites, not divides; one that honors Christ through Mary, not beside her.
9. The Final Word
Pope Leo XIV’s decision doesn’t lessen Mary’s dignity — it protects it. It ensures that devotion remains pure, biblical, and centered on Christ.
It also clears away one of the most persistent obstacles in dialogue with Protestants and Orthodox Christians. By refusing to canonize confusing or rivalrous titles, the Church shows once again what she has always taught: Mary leads to Christ, never away from Him.
“Do whatever He tells you.” — John 2:5
That is Mary’s everlasting command. She doesn’t add to the Cross; she points us toward it.
And that, to me, is the most Marian truth of all.
Selected Sources and Citations
-
Mater Populi Fidelis, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2025.
-
Catechism of the Catholic Church §§963–975, §970.
-
Lumen Gentium §62, Second Vatican Council.
-
Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater (1987).
-
Pope Francis, Homily on Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12 2019).
-
St Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.22.4.
-
St Ambrose, De Virginibus 2.2.6.
-
St Augustine, Sermon 25.
-
C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm (1964).
-
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Theo-Drama V (1998).
-
Jaroslav Pelikan, Mary Through the Centuries (1996).
-
N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (2003).
Beautiful! Thank you so much!
ReplyDelete