Vatican: Only Jesus redeems, not the Virgin Mary

Mary to be honoured as Mother of the Faithful, whose role never replaces Christ, the world’s only Redeemer

by SHARON MWENDE

World05 November 2025 - 08:35

In Summary

The document praises titles like “Mother of Believers,” “Spiritual Mother” and “Mother of the Faithful” as fitting expressions of Mary’s role in salvation history.
However, it firmly rejects the title “Co-redemptrix,” saying it “creates confusion and an imbalance in the truths of the Christian faith.”

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The Vatican has declared that the Virgin Mary should not be called “Co-redemptrix,” saying the title wrongly suggests she shares in Christ’s saving power.

Instead, she is to be honoured as the Mother of the Faithful, whose role supports but never replaces Jesus Christ, the world’s only Redeemer.

The clarification is contained in a new document released on Tuesday by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, titled Mater populi fidelis (“The Mother of the Faithful People”).

“It would not be appropriate to use the title ‘Co-redemptrix’ to define Mary’s cooperation. This title risks obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation and can therefore create confusion and an imbalance in the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith. […],” the Note states.

“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.”

The Note, approved by Pope Leo XIV and signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and Monsignor Armando Matteo, seeks to clear confusion about some popular titles given to Mary.

The document praises titles like “Mother of Believers,” “Spiritual Mother” and “Mother of the Faithful” as fitting expressions of Mary’s role in salvation history.

However, it firmly rejects the title “Co-redemptrix,” saying it “creates confusion and an imbalance in the truths of the Christian faith.”

The title “Mediatrix” (meaning one who mediates or intercedes) may be used only if it clearly shows that Christ remains the sole Mediator between God and humanity.

The Vatican stresses that everything about Mary points to Christ and that devotion to her should always lead believers closer to Him, not away.

The Note recalls that while some past Popes used the term “Co-redemptrix,” they never formally defined it.

The Second Vatican Council avoided the term altogether for pastoral and unity reasons.

It adds that Saint John Paul II used it occasionally to refer to how believers, like Mary, can unite their sufferings with Christ’s.

But Church leaders have repeatedly cautioned that the word can be misunderstood.

In 1996, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) opposed calls to declare “Co-redemptrix” as a new dogma, warning that the term was “unclear, not biblical and could distort the faith.”

He later explained that everything Mary is comes from Christ, and the title “Co-redemptrix” could make it seem otherwise.

Pope Francis also spoke against the title several times, emphasising that Christ alone redeemed the world.

The new document reminds Catholics that, according to Scripture, “Christ is the only Mediator.”

However, it adds that Mary can be called a “mediator” in a secondary sense, meaning she intercedes and assists believers, but never adds to or replaces Christ’s saving power.

Her “yes” to God made the Incarnation possible, giving her a unique but dependent role in salvation.

“…it is clear that Mary has a real mediatory role in enabling the Incarnation of the Son of God in our humanity,” the Note adds.

The Note highlights that Mary’s motherhood strengthens faith in Jesus, rather than distracting from Him.

It warns against viewing her as a “lightning rod” who shields humanity from God’s justice, saying this wrongly suggests that God’s mercy is not enough.

While the title “Mother of Believers” is affirmed, the Vatican urges caution with “Mediatrix of All Graces.”

It explains that no human being, not even Mary, can distribute grace, since only God gives grace through Christ.

“No human person, not even the Apostles or the Blessed Virgin, can act as a universal dispenser of grace. Only God can bestow grace, and he does so through the humanity of Christ,” the Note says.

“Some titles, such as ‘Mediatrix of All Graces,’ have limits that do not favour a correct understanding of Mary’s unique place. In fact, she, the first redeemed, could not have been the mediatrix of the grace that she herself received.”

Still, the document allows that the phrase “graces” may refer to the many ways God helps His people through Mary’s intercession.

The Vatican urges Catholics to keep their devotion rooted in sound teaching, honouring Mary as a guide to faith, but never as a substitute for Christ.

Matthew 1:21 states that "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved," Acts 4:12.

In summary, Mater populi fidelis reaffirms that: