Where is the love of truth, where is fidelity to Calvary? It is with profound sorrow and holy indignation that we read the document Mater Populi Fidelis from the The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).
This text, which purports to be a clarification, in reality attacks the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, by denying her titles bestowed upon her by the Faith, by the entire Tradition of the Church, and sanctioned by the constant teaching of several popes. Under the guise of “fidelity” and “ecumenism,” it is working to diminish the Mother of God.
UNTENABLE ARGUMENTS
The Cardinal Prefect of the DDF justifies the removal of the glorious titles of Co-Redemptrix and Universal Mediatrix of Graces with three arguments that must be severely denounced.
1. The attack on the unique mediation of Christ:
The main argument is that the title of Co-Redemptrix might seem to undermine the fundamental dogma that “there is one mediator between God and men: a man, Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:5)
Their fear is that the term Co-Redemptrix will be interpreted as an equality of power or dignity between Mary and Christ.
But this is a profound ignorance of Catholic doctrine! The faith affirms without hesitation that Christ alone saves, but it also teaches that God willed to associate a creature with Christ’s redemptive offering. Mary does not cooperate through personal power and independently of Christ, but through love and self-sacrifice.
Theology has always specified that her merit is one of appropriateness (de congruo) and not of justice (de condigno) like that of the Savior. She obtains “in appropriateness what Jesus obtains in justice” (St. Pius X), with a subordinate but universal efficacy. Far from competing, Mary is the partner whose action is the sine qua non of this redemption.
2. Inappropriateness and dogmatic complexity:
The DDF asserts the inappropriateness of titles, because they would be too difficult for the People of God to understand:
“When an expression requires numerous and constant explanations to prevent it from straying from its correct meaning, it does not serve the faith of the People of God and becomes a hindrance.”
This argument, new in the history of theology, is also an admission of pastoral laziness! If expressions susceptible to misinterpretation must be excluded from Church teaching, then preaching would be reduced to very little. Holy Scripture is revealed by God. And yet it contains many passages that are difficult to understand. Even Saint Peter says that the texts of Saint Paul contain obscure passages:
“As our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him. This is what he does in all his letters, in which he speaks about these things. In them are certain passages that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people twist to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15–16)
According to this argument from the DDF, the Bible should then be censored! On the contrary, the Church has never been afraid and has always taught the truth in all its luminous complexity, without diminishing it through overly human simplification. She possesses the words of eternal life, the words of the Word of God; and does not concern herself with the words of human prudence, all too human.
3. The ecumenical discomfort:
The “particular ecumenical effort” is the driving force behind this Marian amputation. It is clearly stated that “the rejection of the titles of the Blessed Virgin… finds its origin in ecumenism.” Must Marian devotion, in order to be understood and taught, look to the errors, heresies, and impieties of non-Catholics?
The idea that truth must be minimized to please others is a tragic break with tradition. It is also a stinging insult hurled in the face of Protestants, who are deemed incapable of receiving Catholic doctrine in its entirety.
This text wants us to replace glorious titles with more lukewarm appellations like “Mother of the Faithful People,” which avoid the nuances rejected by non-Catholics and are even acceptable to Muslims. The glories of Mary are being sacrificed on the altar of a false ecumenism!
Our profession of Mary as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix is not a mere thesis, nor is it a subject for debate. Rather, it is an act of faith and love, a kiss of gratitude placed on the hand of the Mother who suffered everything for us. Let us commit ourselves to cherishing, proclaiming, and defending our Mother in Heaven, the only one who will allow us to fully know Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Published on November 12, 2025 – Father François Delmotte (La porte latine.fr)