The Queen of The Angels by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905)
Dear reader,
The Vatican Department on Doctrine (Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith [DDF]) has released a Doctrinal Note on November 4, 20251. It is approved by Pope Leo XIV and is titled “Mater Populi Fidelis: Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation.” Mater Populi Fidelis is Latin for “Mother of the Faithful People of God.”2
The following statement is to aid in the understanding of the document.
The document says one of its aims is to achieve precision of Marian titles to avoid a “mistaken understanding of Mary’s role.”3
The document also seeks to highlight, and does so in exhaustive fashion, the “motherhood” of Mary to all believers.4 This motherhood would originate, as the Church teaches, in the Gospel of John Chapter 19, when Jesus says from the Cross to one of his disciples: “Behold, your mother.”5
In terms of precision of Marian titles, the over-arching question posed by the document to evaluate certain Marian titles is, “What is the meaning of Mary’s unique cooperation in the plan of salvation?”6 And the document shares this question has historically been analyzed from two perspectives: her participation in the redemption accomplished in Christ during His life, and the influence she currently has on those redeemed.7
Before summarizing the document, we share:
- The Note from the DDF does not claim to be exhaustive on Mary and teachings about her.8
- To prevent a misunderstanding of Mary herself, we have made an editorial decision to mention the four Marian dogmas prior to sharing information about the document. A dogma is a truth the Catholic Church teaches from Divine Revelation, or a truth it teaches definitively related to these truths from Divine Revelation.9
Mary and the four Dogmas about her
Mary is the Queen of Heaven and Earth10, the one whom Scripture describes in the Book of Revelation:
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”11
One of the children who saw Mary at Fatima, Portugal in 1917, Venerable Lucia, cousin to the other two seers, Saints Francisco and Jacinta, also has a description of Mary:
“…a Lady dressed all in white…more brilliant than the sun, shedding rays of light, clear and stronger that a crystal glass filled with the most sparkling water, pierced by the burning rays of the sun.”12
The Four Marians dogmas13 are about:
- Mary being the Mother of God
- The Perpetual Virginity: that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and Mary was a virgin her entire life
- The Immaculate Conception: that Mary was born without original sin and sinless throughout her entire life
- The Assumption of Mary: that Mary was taken body and soul into Heaven at the end of her life
Pope Blessed Pius IX, in the document declaring her Immaculate Conception14, says about Mary: “far above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously did God endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the treasury of his divinity that this mother, ever absolutely free of all stain of sin, all fair and perfect, would possess that fullness of holy innocence and sanctity….”
What the document says
To avoid any confusion, and to simplify, we share that the document primarily refutes two titles used about Mary: “Co-redemptrix” and “Mediatrix”/“Mediatrix of All Graces.” These are related to the terms redeemer and mediator. Redeemer is a term related to a liberation from sin and restoration to a life with God by one who pays a “ransom” or a price.15 Mediator is related to the one who brings “estranged parties” together; in terms of Salvation, the one who brings man and God together.16
The document refutes using the terms redeemer and mediator in relation to Mary.
The document says the term “co-redemptrix“ especially “requires many, repeated explanations to prevent it from straying from a correct meaning.”17
The document quotes Cardinal Ratzinger before he was Pope Benedict XVI, who quotes St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians, that Christ is the only redeemer:
“[God]…blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing”18
It also quotes Cardinal Ratzinger’s quote of St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:
“through [Jesus]…all things [are reconciled]”19
In terms of “mediator,” the document also quotes St. Paul’s First letter to Timothy, that there is only one mediator:
“For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all”20
The document, however, implies that in terms of cooperation in God’s salvific plan, Mary is “first and foremost,”21 and says that her cooperation was indeed part of God’s will, saying she was:
“’fully active’ [in]…the salvific mystery of Christ as an instrument willed by the Father in his plan of salvation”22
It also says:
“The cooperation of the Mother with her Son in the work of Salvation has been taught by the Magisterium of the Church”23
The document also says that God allows all humanity to participate in His work of salvation:
“Christ’s [work] is inclusive. He enables various forms of participation in his salvific plan”24
Holy Fire Catholic Newsletter
Citations
1. Vatican News, “Doctrinal Note on Marian titles: Mother of the faithful, not Co-redemptrix,” https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-11/doctrinal-note-mother-of-the-faithful-not-co-redemptrix.html. Accessed 10 Jan 2026
2. Wooden, Cindy, “Mary, mother of Jesus and all believers, is not co-redeemer, Vatican says,” https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/mary-mother-jesus-and-all-believers-not-co-redeemer-vatican-says. Accessed 10 Jan 2026
3. Doctrinal Note “Mater Populi Fidelis…” (MPF), Paragraph 2
4. MPF, Presentation section of Document (before introduction)
5. MPF, Paragraph 6
6. MPF, Paragraph 3
7. MPF, Paragraph 4
8. MPF, Paragraph 3
9. Catechism of the Catholic Church #88
10. (Paragraph 1) Pope Pius XII, Ad Coeli Reginam, https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_11101954_ad-caeli-reginam.html. Accessed 9 Jan 2026
11. Revelation, Chapter 12, verse 1
12. (Page 14) De Marchi, IMC, Fr. John, The True Story of Fatima: A complete account of the Fatima Apparitions, Publisher Unknown, Date Unknown
13. Catholic News Agency, https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55423/the-four-marian-dogmas. Accessed 9 Jan 2026
14. Pope Pius IX, Blessed. “Ineffabilis Deus,” Apostolic Constitution on the Immaculate Conception, 1854, New Advent.org, https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_pi09id.htm. Accessed 10 Jan 2026
15. Sollier, J., “Redemption,” (In the Catholic Encyclopedia) https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12677d.htm. Accessed 9 Jan 2026
16. Wilhelm, J., “Mediator (Christ as Mediator),” (In the Catholic Encyclopedia) https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10118a.htm. Accessed 9 Jan 2026
17. MPF, Paragraph 22
18. MPF, Paragraph 20
19. MPF, Paragraph 20
20. MPF, Paragraph 24
21. MPF, Paragraph 22
22. MPF, Paragraph 15
23. MPF, Paragraph 13
24. MPF, Paragraph 28