Understanding the Drama around the New Marian Note released by the Vatican

by John Paul Philips

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in here are solely mine, and does not represent my diocese or seminary.

Earlier this week, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) released its new Doctrinal Note titled, Mater Populi Fidelis (Mother of the Faithful People of God). 

In addition to pointing to positive titles of Mary, this note also directly addresses the push to define Mary as “Coredemptrix” and “Mediatrix of All Graces.” It has definitely stirred up a lot of deep feelings for many people. For most, this intervention feels sudden (ah, like the good ol’ hermeneutic of rupture claim!) But in the wider Church, this has been a low-simmering fire for decades. But, why did the DDF decide to act now??

Let’s unpack what’s happening, and why this is all happening!

The “Drama”

This document did not appear in a vacuum. It was a development. In its own presentation, the DDF says it is responding to “numerous requests and proposals” that have been “sowing confusion among ordinary members of the faithful,” especially through social media (Presentation, MPF).

But what are these requests? For decades, powerful, organized movements have been gathering millions of signatures to petition the Popes to declare a fifth Marian dogma, defining Mary with the titles of “Coredemptrix” and “Mediatrix of All Graces”. One of the most prominent movements is linked to the controversial “Lady of All Nations” apparitions in Amsterdam. These alleged messages, which began in 1945, are the origins of the specific request for the “Coredemptrix” dogma. As with all apparitions, the diocese inquires and the Vatican either approves or denies its legitimacy–all after due processes. In 1974, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (then CDF, now the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith) issued a negative judgement on these apparitions, finding they were not supernatural (“constat de non supernaturalitate.”)  However, in 1996, the local bishop positively recognized this devotion, and in 2002, another bishop from the same place recognized the supernatural origin of the apparitions. With this, people split; some welcomed it, while others were confused. It wasn’t until 2020 that the bishop reinvoked the 1974’s judgment on the case and called it negative. Later in 2024 May, the DDF issued the Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena. 

This new document, Mater Populi Fidelis, is the theological follow-up. It addresses the content by pastoring popular piety by discerning both the alleged phenomena and the theological ideas that spring from them.

But dogma is supposed to be complicated and requires explanation!

This is the biggest argument against what the document advises: “The Church defined the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union which are incredibly complex! Why shy away from coredemptrix or mediatrix just because it needs explanations over and over?!”

Fair question!

But the DDF is drawing a crucial line between a necessary mystery (like the Trinity, which is the foundation of our faith) and a problematic ambiguity.

The Church isn’t being timid or shying away from explanations. Rather, it is being cautiously precise, which is an act of charity.

Coredemptrix

Coredemptrix, according to this document, risks obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation. Theologians can explain that in Latin by describing that it means cum (with), but for the People of God, it can be confusing, and misleading. “When an expression requires many, repeated explanations to prevent it from straying from a correct meaning, it does not serve the faith of the People of God and becomes unhelpful (M.P.F. n.22).” Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) said the title “would obscure” the fact that everything Mary is, she is “through Him [Christ]” (n.19).

Mediatrix of All Graces

This one is more nuanced. Of course, Mary is the mediatrix of intercession. The problem is the specific, technical title “Mediatrix of ALL Graces.” The DDF warns this title “risks presenting Mary as the one who distributes spiritual goods… apart from our personal relationship with Jesus Christ” (n.68). This brings us to the crux of Theology. 

Sanctifying grace, the very life of God in our souls, is a "gratuitous gift that God makes to us… infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul”. It is a direct and immediate union between the Triune God and the human being (n.50). The document, citing St. Thomas Aquinas, reminds us that only God can “enter into” the soul in this way (n.50). Therefore, “in the perfect immediacy between a human being and God in the communication of grace, not even Mary can intervene (n.54).”

Her role isn’t a dispenser.  Her role is maternal. She intercedes as she did in the Wedding of Cana: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3), and she prepares us to open our hearts to the grace that only God can give, telling us: “Do whatever HE tells you” (Jn 2:5) (n.49).

Bottomline, this document is not demoting Mary. Instead, it is clearing away confusing, flawed titles and pointing us to the ones that are richer, more biblical and powerful. 

Maybe someday, when the Church is ready for the more nuanced and clarified titles, these could be reconsidered, or maybe... not. Ultimately, this note is a necessary act of pastoral authority. It is a reminder that while popular piety is a treasure of the Church, it must always be guided by the Magisterium. The Vatican has stepped in, not to crush the devotion to Mary, but to guard the deposit of faith: ensuring that our love for our Mother always leads us to the unique glory of the Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. In God We Trust; with & as His Church we walk!