The Vatican ruled that Virgin Mary cannot be called “co-redeemer,” . Public Domain
The Vatican has ruled that Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, should not be described as the “co-redeemer” of the world. The decision was issued in a new decree approved by Pope Leo and released on Tuesday.
The Church’s top doctrinal office instructed Catholics worldwide to avoid the title, saying it creates theological confusion and risks weakening the belief that Jesus alone redeemed humanity. The clarification is directed at 1.4 billion Catholics and settles an internal debate that has divided Church thinkers for decades.
The document says redemption belongs to Jesus alone
The decree affirms that Virgin Mary holds a central place in Christian belief, but not a direct role in saving the world. It states that she may have guided Jesus during his life, yet the act of redemption was carried out by Jesus alone through his crucifixion and death.
“It would not be appropriate to use the title ‘co-redemptrix,’” the document said. It warned that the term disrupts “the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith” and could mislead believers into assuming Mary shared equal redemptive power with Jesus.
Centuries of debate inside the Catholic Church
Vatican. Credit: Emma Gawen CC BY 2.0
The question of whether Mary helped redeem humanity has been argued for centuries. Catholics honor her as the Mother of God, and some scholars believe her obedience, suffering, and presence at the crucifixion made her a partner in salvation.
Others cautioned that such a title places her on the same level as Jesus, which Church teaching does not allow.
Modern popes took opposing positions
The late Pope Francis firmly rejected the idea. He once said that calling Mary “co-redeemer” was “foolishness,” adding in 2019 that she never tried to take anything away from her son. Francis died in April, but his stance remains widely cited in Church discussions.
Pope Benedict XVI also opposed the title. His predecessor, John Paul II, supported it at one stage, but stopped using the term in public in the mid-1990s after the doctrinal office raised concerns.
Vatican affirms Virgin Mary’s role without granting the title
The new instruction still emphasizes Virgin Mary’s importance in salvation history. It calls her an intermediary between God and humanity, saying that by giving birth to Jesus, she “opened the gates of the Redemption that all humanity had awaited.”
The text also cites the Bible, which records Mary’s response to the angel announcing her pregnancy: “Let it be.”
Decree draws a final boundary in long-running dispute
The ruling makes clear that Marian devotion remains part of Catholic identity, but the title “co-redeemer” is not. The instruction closes one of the Church’s longest debates and confirms that, in Catholic doctrine, redemption is the work of Jesus alone.