Q: What is the main point of this article?
A: The article discusses a new Vatican document and expert opinion clarifying that the Virgin Mary does not “hold back God’s wrath” and should not be referred to with titles like “Co-Redemptrix” or “Mediatrix.” These titles are seen as distorting Christian faith and leading to superstition.
Q: Why are titles like “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix” problematic, according to the Vatican expert?
A: Father Maurizio Gronchi explains that these titles imply Mary mediates and convinces God to be merciful, which undermines the Holy Trinity and suggests a superstitious understanding of her role rather than one in accordance with the Gospel.
Q: Has the Vatican addressed these titles before?
A: Yes, this isn’t the first time the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has ruled against proclaiming these as dogma. St. John Paul II, for instance, stopped using the term “co-redemptrix” after Cardinal Ratzinger advised against it in 1996.
Q: What is surprising about the drafting of this new Vatican document?
A: Father Gronchi noted that no collaborating Mariologists (experts in studies of Mary) were involved or present at the document’s presentation, which he interprets as a “silence” that could signify “dissent” from the Marian academic community.
Q: What existing dogmas relate to the Virgin Mary?
A: The Catholic Church has already established several dogmas concerning Mary, including the Divine Motherhood (431), Perpetual Virginity (649), Immaculate Conception (1854), and the Assumption of Mary (1950).
Virgin Mary doesn’t have ‘the role of holding back God’s wrath,’ Vatican expert says
