Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten son the intensity of his suffering, associated herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim which was born of her. (7)
By necessity, the Redeemer could not but associate [non poteva, per necessità di cose, non associare] his Mother in his work. For this reason, we invoke her under the title of Co-redemptrix. She gave us the Savior, she accompanied him in the work of Redemption as far as the Cross itself, sharing with Him the sorrows and the agony and in the death in which Jesus consummated the Redemption of mankind. (21)
Crucified spiritually with her crucified Son (cf. Gal 2:20), she contemplated with heroic love the death of her God, she “lovingly consented to the immolation of this victim born of her” (Lumen Gentium, 58)…. At Calvary with the sacrifice of her Son that led to the foundation of the Church …. Having suffered for the Church, Mary deserved to become the mother of all the disciples of her Son …. Mary’s role as Co-redemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son. (31)
The matter cannot be settled by pointing to the dangers of exaggeration and abuse, or by appealing to isolated texts of scripture such as 1 Timothy 2:5, or by the changing fashions in theology and spirituality, or by the desire not to say anything that might offend one’s partners in ecumenical dialogue. Unthinking enthusiasts may have elevated Mary to a position of virtual equality with Christ, but this aberration is not a necessary consequence of recognizing that there may be a truth striving for expression in words like Mediatrix and Co-redemptrix. All responsible theologians would agree that Mary’s co-redemptive role is subordinate and auxiliary to the central role of Christ. But if she does have such a role, the more clearly we understand it, the better. It is a matter for theological investigation. And, like other doctrines concerning Mary, it is not only saying something about her, but something more general concerning the Church as a whole or even humanity as a whole. (38)
Taking up an idea expressed by Pope John XXIII at the opening of the Council, the Decree on Ecumenism mentions the way of formulating doctrine as one of the elements of a continuing reform. Here it is not a question of altering the deposit of faith, changing the meaning of dogmas, eliminating essential words from them, accommodating truth to the preferences of a particular age, or suppressing certain articles of the Creed under the false pretext that they are no longer understood today. The unity willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth. In the Body of Christ, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), who could consider legitimate a reconciliation brought about at the expense of the truth? The Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom Dignitatis Humanae attributes to human dignity the quest for truth, "especially in what concerns God and his Church", and adherence to truth's demands. A "being together" which betrayed the truth would thus be opposed both to the nature of God who offers his communion and to the need for truth found in the depths of every human heart. (39)
With regard to the study of areas of disagreement, the Council requires that the whole body of doctrine be clearly presented. At the same time, it asks that the manner and method of expounding the Catholic faith should not be a hindrance to dialogue with our brothers and sisters. Certainly, it is possible to profess one's faith and to explain its teaching in a way that is correct, fair and understandable, and which at the same time takes into account both the way of thinking and the actual historical experiences of the other party. Full communion of course will have to come about through the acceptance of the whole truth into which the Holy Spirit guides Christ's disciples. Hence all forms of reductionism or facile "agreement" must be absolutely avoided. (40)
Dear friends who are sick, welcome the call of Jesus who will shortly pass among you in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and entrust to him every setback and pain that you face, so that they become—according to his design—a means of redemption for the whole world. You will be redeemers with the Redeemer, just as you are sons in the Son. At the cross…stands the mother of Jesus, our mother. (44)
(1) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, n. 67.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Lumen Gentium, n. 66.
(4) Lumen Gentium, n. 67.
(5) Cf, “The Role of Mary in Redemption: A Document of the Theological Commission of the International Marian Association,” Ecce Mater Tua: An International Journal of Mariology, Vol. 1, January 1, 2017, www.eccematertua.com; J.B. Carol, De corredemptione Beatae Virginis Mariae (Rome, 1950); G. Roschini, Maria Santissima Nella Storia Della Salvezza Vol. II, (Isola Del Liri: Pisani, 1969) 144-155. For a survey of papal texts from Leo XIII to John Paul II, cf. A. Calkins, “The Mystery of Mary Co-redemptrix in the Papal Magisterium,” Mary Co-redemptrix: Doctrinal Issues Today, Queenship, 2002, 25-92; M. Perillo, F.I. and M. Somerton, F.I., “The Marian Coredemption Through Two Millennia,” Mary at the Foot of the Cross, Ratcliffe College, England, 2002, Academy of the Immaculate, 79- 112.
(6) Ibid.
(7) Lumen Gentium, n. 58.
(8) St. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, III, Ch. 22, n. 4, PG 7, 959 A, Harvey 2, 123.
(9) Akathist Hymn, c. 525 A.D., Strophe 1, PG 92, 1337 A. Cited in Lumen Gentium, n. 56.
(10) Cf. John the Geometer, Life of Mary, Bol. 196, 123; cf. Pope St. John Paul II, Wednesday Audience, October 25, 1995, Inseg. XVIII/2 (1995) 934-936.
(11) For example, Litanies des saintes, Cathedral of Salisbury, Parchment 173; cf. Laurentin, Le Titre de Corédemptrice, 11-12.
(12) St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Serm. 3 in Purificatione Beatae Mariae., 2; PL 183, 370; cf. Pope St. John Paul II, Wednesday Audience, October 25, 1995, Inseg. XVIII/2 (1995) 934-936.
(13) Arnold of Chartres, De septem verbis Domini in cruce, 3; PL 189, 1694; PL 189, 1726-1727; PL 189, 1693 B; cf. Pope St. John Paul II, Wednesday Audience, October 25, 1995, Inseg. XVIII/2 (1995) 934-936.
(14) Orat. Ms S. Petri Slaisburgens, saec. XV; Codex Petrin, a, III, 20; Orat. Ms S. Petri. Saec. XIV, XV; Codex Petrin. , 1, 20, quoted in M. Dreves, Analecta hymnica medii aevi, Leipzig, Reisland, t. 46, 1905, 126, n. 79.
(15) Alphonsus Salmerón, Commentarii in Evangel., Tr. 5, Opera, Cologne, ed. Hierat, 1604, t. III, 37b-38a; Commentarii, vol. 10, tr. 41, 359b. vol.10, tr. 41, 359b; vol. 11, tr. 38, 312a; vol. 3; tr. 43, 495a.
(16) Cf. J.B, Carol, “Marian Coredemption,” Carol, ed., Mariology, Vol 2, 1957, p. 409.
(17) For a survey of papal texts on Marian Coredemption from Leo XIII to John Paul II, cf. A. Calkins, “The Mystery of Mary Co-redemptrix in the Papal Magisterium,” Mary Co-redemptrix: Doctrinal Issues Today, Queenship, 2002, 25-92; M. Perillo, F.I. and M. Somerton, F.I., “The Marian Coredemption Through Two Millennia,” Mary at the Foot of the Cross, Ratcliffe College, England, 2002, (New Bedford, MA: Academy of the Immaculate, 2002) 79- 112; Cf. J.B. Carol, De corredemptione Beatae Virginis Mariae, Rome, 1950; G. Roschini, Maria Santissima Nella Storia Della Salvezza, Vol. II, (Isola Del Liri, Pisani, 1969) 144-155.
(18) Congregation of Rites, Decretum quo festum Septem Dolorum B. M. V., Dominicae tertiae Septembris affixum, ad ritum duplicem secundae classis elevatur pro universa Ecclesia (may 13, 1918) Acta Sanctae Sedis, 41 [1908] in which the Congregation itself uses the Co-redemptrix title in granting the feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary to be raised to the rank of double class; the Congregation of the Holy Office also uses the title, Co-redemptrix, in a decree of June 26, 1913, Acta Apostolicae Sedis [AAS] 5[1913], 364; and in another decree of January 22, 1914, AAS 6, [1914], 108.
(19) Pope Benedict XV, Inter Sodalicia, AAS 10, 182. “… ut dici merito queat, Ipsam cum Christo humanum genus redemisse.”
(20) Cf. Pius XI, Allocution to Pilgrims from Vicenza, Italy, November 30, 1933, L’Osservatore Roma no, Dec. 1, 1933, 1; Pius XI, Allocution to Spanish Pilgrims, L’Osservatore Romano, March 25, 1934, 1; Pius XI, Radio Message for the Closing of the Holy Year at Lourdes, L’Osservatore Romano, April 29-30, 1935, 1.
(21) Pius XI, Allocution to Pilgrims from Vicenza, Italy, November 30, 1933, L’Osservatore Romano, Dec. 1, 1933, 1; see also Domenico Bertetto, S.D.B., ed. Discorsi di Pio XI 2:1013.
(22) G. Miegge, La Vergine Maria, saggio del storia del dogma (Torre Pellice: Editrice Claudina, 1950) p. 178, as cited by Carol, Mariology, Vol. 2, p. 377.
(23) P. Maury, La Vierge Marie dans le catholicisme contemporain, in Le Protestantisme et la Vierge Marie, ed., J.Bosc, P. Bourguet, P. Maury, and H.Roux (Paris: Ed Je Sers, 1950) p. 39-40, as cited by Carol, Mariology, Vol 2, p. 377.
(24) Lumen Gentium, 58.
(25) Lumen Gentium, n. 56.
(26) Lumen Gentium, n. 57.
(27) Lumen Gentium, n. 61.
(28) “De Maria Virgine Matre Dei et Matre Hominum,” Section 3, note 16, Acta Synodalia Oecumenici Vaticani Secundi, Typis Polgottis Vaticanis, 1971, vol. 1, pt. 4. The decision to exclude the Co-redemptrix title from the final version of the Marian document to be eventually found in Lumen Gentium Chapter 8 did not come from the Council Fathers themselves, but from a theological sub-committee who would state in a “Praenotanda” [explanatory pre-note] that while certain terms used by Roman Pontiffs such as “Co-redemptrix of the human race” were “absolutely true in themselves” (in se verissima) they “may be understood with difficulty by separated brethren (in this case, Protestants)” and were, for that reason, “omitted” from the schema. Cf. Acta Synodalia Sacrosancti Concilii Oecumenici Vaticani II, Volumen I, Periodus Prima, Pars IV, Praenotanda, Vatican City, 1971, 99; cf. Besutti, Lo Schema Mariano, 41.
(29) See John Paul II General Audience, 10 December 1980 (Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo [Inseg] II, III/2 [1980], p. 1646); General Audience 8 September 1982 (Inseg V/3 [1982], p. 404); Angelus Address 4 November, 1984 (Inseg VII/2 [1984], p. 1151); Discourse at World Youth Day 31 March 1985 (Inseg VIII/1 [1985], p. 889–890); Address to the Sick 24 March, 1990 (Inseg XIII/1 [1990], p. 743); Discourse of 6 October, 1991 (Inseg XIV/2 [1991], p. 756). Moreover, in a homily in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 31, 1985, John Paul II spoke of the “co-redemptive role of Mary (el papel corredentor de María: Inseg VIII [1985], p. 319), which was translated as “Mary’s role as Co-redemptrix” in L’Osservatore Romano, English ed., March 11, 1985
(30) Cf. A. Calkins, “Pope John Paul II’s Ordinary Magisterium on Marian Coredemption,” Mary at the Foot of the Cross, Vol. II, New Bedford, MA, Academy of the Immaculate, 2002; M. Perillo, F.I. and M. Somerton, F.I., “The Marian Coredemption Through Two Millenia,” Mary at the Foot of the Cross, Ratcliffe College, England, 2002, Academy of the Immaculate, 79- 112; G. Roschini, Maria Santissima Nella Storia Della Salvezza, Vol. II, Isola Del Liri, Pisani, 144-155; Arthur B. Calkins, “Pope John Paul II’s Teaching on Marian Coredemption,” M. Miravalle ed., Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate, Theological Foundations II: Papal, Pneumatological, Ecumenical, Goleta, CA: Queenship Publishing Company, 1997.
(31) Pope St. John Paul II, Homily at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Alborada, Guayaquil, Ecuador, Jan. 31, 1985, L’Osservatore Romano, English ed., March 11, 1985.
(32) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, n. 25.
(33) M. Miravalle, Mary Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate (Gloeta, CA: Queenship Publications, 1993) Introduction by Luigi Cardinal Ciappi, 5 May, 1993, ix.
(34) Cf. Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici Archives of cardinal and bishop endorsement letters received, filed, copied and submitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith since 1993, 48765 Annapolis Rd, Hopedale, Ohio.
(35) Letter of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, August 14, 1993 as contained in M. Miravalle, With Jesus: The Story of Mary Co-redemptrix, Queenship, 2003, p. 229.
(36) Sr. Lucia, Calls from the Message of Fatima,(Still River, MA: Ravengate Press, 2002, p. 279.
(37) Ibid, p. 137.
(38) J. Macquarrie, “Mary Co-redemptrix and Disputes Over Justification and Grace: An Anglican View,” Mary Co-redemptrix: Ecumenically Doctrinal Issues Today (Goleta, CA: Queenship, 2002), p. 140.
(39) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Ut Unum Sint (May 25, 1995), n. 18.
(40) Ibid., n. 36.
(41) For example, John Paul II, Discourse to the Personnel of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, L’Osservatore Romano, April 5, 1981.
(42) Cf. Lumen Gentium, nn. 60-62.
(43) Lumen Gentium, n.60.
(44) Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Address to the Sick, “You Can Overcome the Feeling of the Uselessness of Suffering,” Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Fatima, Portugal, May 13, 2010.