Vatican City – Tomorrow, November 4, 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish a document that Silere non possum offers today in exclusive preview to its readers. With the release of this Doctrinal Note, Mater Populi fidelis, the former Holy Office provides an extensive and structured reflection on several titles attributed to the Virgin Mary throughout history and their theological and pastoral implications.
Approved by Pope Leo XIV and signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the text comes after decades of requests and proposals addressed to the Holy See by theologians, movements, and the faithful regarding the possibility of recognizing new Marian dogmas or titles.
As stated in the introduction, the Note responds to “numerous questions and proposals submitted to the Holy See in recent decades, particularly concerning certain Marian titles,” and aims to clarify in what sense they are acceptable or not, specifying “the place of Mary in her relationship with the faithful, in the light of the mystery of Christ as the sole Mediator and Redeemer.” The document stems from both theological and pastoral concern: maintaining the necessary balance between the uniqueness of Christ’s mediation and Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation, safeguarding both the faith of the Christian people and ecumenical sensitivity.
Origin and Purpose of the Note
Mater Populi fidelis is the fruit of over thirty years of study and internal discussion within the Dicastery—conferences and sessions that produced an “abundant and rich material,” now systematized in this synthesis. As Cardinal Fernández explains, the aim is not to “correct” the piety of the People of God, but to value and purify it, recognizing its beauty and mystagogical depth. However, alongside genuine popular devotion, there exist currents, publications, and movements that “propose new dogmatic developments” and, through the media, risk confusing the simpler faithful.
Hence the document intervenes to indicate which titles correspond to Gospel-inspired devotion, and which, on the contrary, “must be avoided, because they do not foster a proper understanding of the harmony of the Christian message as a whole.”
The Foundation: Mary, Mother of Believers
The very title, Mater Populi fidelis (“Mother of the Faithful People”), expresses the document’s perspective. Mary is theMother of Believers, “the feminine manifestation of what Christ’s grace can accomplish in a human being.”
Her cooperation in salvation is revealed first at the Annunciation, then renewed at the foot of the Cross, where she becomes mother of the disciple and of every believer. The text shows how Mary’s motherhood belongs to the fulfillment of the divine plan, grounded in a fully free cooperation yet subordinate to the unique redemptive work of the Son. Marian cooperation, the Note explains, has a Trinitarian structure: it is the initiative of the Father, accomplished in the Son, and realized in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Titles Under Examination
The document distinguishes between traditional titles—such as Mother of Mercy, Advocate, Help of Christians—and those implying a direct participation in the redemptive work, namely Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of all graces. It is these latter titles that, according to the Dicastery, require clarification.
“Co-Redemptrix”: A Title Not to Be Used
Mater Populi fidelis traces the history of the title Co-Redemptrix, which appeared in the 15th century as an evolution of Redemptrix (short for “Mother of the Redeemer”)
The document recalls that several 20th-century Popes used it in a non-technical way, but Vatican Council II chose not to adopt it for doctrinal, pastoral, and ecumenical reasons. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had already given a negative judgment: the title “departs too far from the language of Scripture and the Fathers and causes misunderstandings,” because “Mary is what she is thanks to Christ.”
Pope Francis likewise affirmed: “The Madonna never presented herself as co-redemptrix. The Redeemer is one, and this title is not doubled.”
The document adopts these positions and states unequivocally: “It is always inappropriate to use the title of Co-Redemptrix to define Mary’s cooperation. It risks obscuring the unique salvific mediation of Christ and may generate confusion and imbalance within the harmony of Christian truths.”
Consequently, the title Co-Redemptrix must not be used or promoted in any liturgical, catechetical, or devotionalform, as it does not help to understand correctly Mary’s place in the mystery of salvation.
“Mediatrix of All Graces”: Title to Be Avoided
The document next addresses the issue of Mary’s universal mediation, developed between the 19th and 20th centuries, especially by the Louvain school. While recognizing the spiritual value of the idea of maternal intercession, the Note observes that the term Mediatrix of all graces lacks a clear foundation in Revelation and presents theological difficulties. Scripture is explicit: “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).
In light of this, the Note distinguishes two levels:
The title Mediatrix may be accepted only if understood in a subordinate and analogical sense, as intercession and cooperation with grace.
The expression Mediatrix of all graces must be avoided, as it suggests that grace necessarily passes “through” Mary, creating the idea of an independent or parallel distribution of grace with respect to Christ.
In reality, the text explains, only God bestows grace, and does so through the humanity of Christ. Mary is not the source of grace, but the “full of grace” who disposes hearts to receive it. Attributing to her the role of “necessary channel” or “custodian” of grace contradicts the Catholic doctrine of Christ’s unique mediation.
Approved Titles and Their Authentic Meaning
Mater Populi fidelis confirms the traditional titles already recognized by the Church: Mother of God, Mother of the Church, Mother of Mercy, Advocate, Help of Christians, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Good Counsel.
These “express in a balanced way Mary’s maternal and intercessory role, without undermining the uniqueness of Christ’s mediation.” The document clarifies the correct meaning of Mediatrix: it is a maternal and participatory mediation, not a priestly or causal one. Mary is not the source of grace, but the sign and instrument of God’s love, a presence that disposes, accompanies, and intercedes.
The Theology of Grace: No Creature Is a Universal Dispenser
The Note’s densest pages develop a reflection on sanctifying grace. Quotations from St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Bonaventure demonstrate that only God can confer grace, for only He “penetrates the human heart” and transforms it. No creature—not even Mary—can be the cause of justification or sanctification.
The text is explicit: “No human person, not even the Apostles or the Blessed Virgin, can act as a universal dispenser of grace. Only God can bestow it, and He does so through the humanity of Christ.”
Spiritual Motherhood: The Correct Path
Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation finds its authentic form in spiritual motherhood: she “intercedes, accompanies, educates,” and her function is dispositive, not causal. As at Cana, Mary does not determine Christ’s action but provokes it through her faith: “They have no wine.” Likewise, in the life of the Church, her intercession “disposes hearts to the action of Christ in the Holy Spirit.” This is the deep meaning of the title Mater Populi fidelis:Mary is not “between” God and man as an intermediary, but beside man, as a Mother leading toward the Son.
A Text of Continuity
Mater Populi fidelis introduces no doctrinal novelties, but rather restores Marian theology to its traditional balance:
Christ is the only Redeemer and Mediator.
Mary is Mother, intercessor, and model of the Church.
Every Marian title must lead to Christ, not replace Him.
The document concludes with an appeal to theological and pastoral sobriety: “Mary is not honored by attributing to her any mediation in the fulfillment of the divine work.” True devotion, it affirms, “is that which recognizes in Mary the perfect disciple of the Lord, the servant of the mystery, she who says: ‘Do whatever He tells you.’”
d.T.A.
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