History of Catholic

Mariology

The history of Catholic Mariology traces

theological developments and views
regarding Mary from the early Church to
the 21st century. Mariology is a mainly
Catholic ecclesiological study within
theology, which centers on the relation
of Mary, the Mother of God, and the
Church. Theologically, it not only deals
with her life but with her veneration in life
and prayer, in art, music, and
architecture, from ancient Christianity to
modern times.

Santa Maria Assunta (Church of the Assumption) was built in 1215 in Siena as a precursor to the expression of
Marian motifs in Renaissance art and architecture.

Throughout history, Catholics have

continued to build churches to honor the
Blessed Virgin. Today, many Catholic
churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
exist on all continents and, in a sense,
their evolving architecture tells the
unfolding story of the development of
Catholic Mariology. Throughout Catholic
history, the veneration of the Blessed
Virgin Mary has led to the creation of
numerous items of Roman Catholic
Marian art. Today, these items may be
viewed from an artistic perspective, but
also they are part of the fabric of
Catholic Mariology.
Mary in the Early Church

Virgin and Child on a wall painting in the early Roman catacombs, 4th century.

"Many centuries were necessary to

arrive at the explicit definition of the
revealed truths concerning Mary," said
Pope John Paul II during his papacy in
1995.[1] The importance of Mary and of
Marian theology can be seen in the
Church after the third century. The New
Testament Gospels, composed during
the late 1st century, contain the first
references to the life of Mary; the New
Testament Epistles, composed earlier,
make no mention of her by name. There
are, however, references to Mary in the
Epistles, most notably in Galatians.[2][3]
In the 2nd century, St. Irenaeus of Lyons
called Mary the "second Eve" because
through Mary and her willing acceptance
of God's choice, God undid the harm
that was done through Eve's choice to
eat the forbidden fruit. The earliest
recorded prayer to Mary is the sub tuum
praesidium (3rd or 4th century) and the
earliest depictions of her are from the
Priscilla catacombs in Rome (early 3rd
century).

Hugo Rahner's 20th-century discovery

and reconstruction of Saint Ambrose's
4th-century view of Mary as the Mother
of the Church was adopted at the
Second Vatican Council. This shows the
influence of early traditions and views on
Mary in modern times.[4][5][6] This view
was then emphasized by Pope John
Paul II in 1997, and today Mary is viewed
as the Mother of the Church by many
Catholics, as well as the Queen of
Heaven.[7]
In the 5th century, the Third Ecumenical
Council debated the question of whether
Mary should be referred to as Theotokos
or Christotokos.[8] Theotokos means
"God-bearer" or "Mother of God"; its use
implies that Jesus, to whom Mary gave
birth, is truly God and man in one person.
Nestorians preferred the title
Christotokos meaning "Christ-bearer" or
"Mother of the Messiah" not because
they denied Jesus' divinity, but because
they believed that God the Son or Logos
existed before time and before Mary,
and that Mary was mother only of Jesus
as a human, so calling her "Mother of
God" was confusing and potentially
heretical. Both sides agreed that Jesus
took divinity from God the Father and
humanity from his mother. The majority
at the council agreed with the Pope that
denying Mary the title Theotokos would
either imply that Jesus was not divine, or
that Jesus had two separate
personhoods, one of whom was son of
Mary and the other not. Ultimately, the
council affirmed the use of the title
Theotokos and by doing so affirmed
Jesus' undivided divinity and humanity.

Thus, while the debate was over the

proper title for Mary, it was primarily a
Christological question about the nature
of Jesus Christ, a question which would
return at the Fourth Ecumenical Council.
Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,
Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran and
Anglican theological teaching affirms the
title Mother of God, while other Christian
denominations give no such title to her.

Medieval Mariology

The medieval Notre-Dame Cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Paris France, was built in the years 1163–1345.
The Middle Ages saw a growth and
development of Mariology. Belief in the
Assumption of Mary became
widespread across the Christian world
from the 6th century onward, and is
celebrated on 15 August in both the East
and the West.[9] The Medieval period
brought major champions of Marian
devotion to the fore, including Ephraim
the Syrian and John Damascene.

The Dogma of the Immaculate

Conception developed within the
Catholic Church over time. Conception
of Mary was celebrated as a liturgical
feast in England from the 9th century,
and the doctrine of her "holy" or
"immaculate" conception was first
formulated in a tract by Eadmer,
companion and biographer of the better-
known St. Anselm, Archbishop of
Canterbury (1033–1109), and later
popularized by the archbishop's nephew,
Anselm the Younger.[10] The Normans
had suppressed the celebration, but it
lived on in the popular mind. It was
rejected by St. Bernard of Clairvaux,
Alexander of Hales, and St. Bonaventure
(who, teaching at Paris, called it "this
foreign doctrine", indicating its
association with England), and by St.
Thomas Aquinas who expressed
questions about the subject, but said that
he would accept the determination of the
Church. Aquinas and Bonaventure, for
example, believed that Mary was
completely free from sin, but that she
was not given this grace at the instant of
her conception.[10]

The majority of Western Marian writers

during this period belonged to the
monastic tradition, particularly the
Benedictines. The twelfth and thirteenth
centuries saw an extraordinary growth of
the cult of the Virgin in western Europe,
in part inspired by the writings of
theologians such as Saint Bernard of
Clairvaux (1090–1153).[11] Bernard of
Clairvaux was one of the most influential
churchmen of his time. In the "Sermon
on the Sunday in the Octave of the
Assumption" he described Mary's
participation in redemption.[12] Bernard's
Praises on the Virgin Mother was a small
but complete treatise on Mariology.[13]
Pope Pius XII's 1953 encyclical Doctor
Mellifluus, issued in commemoration of
the eighth centenary of Bernard's death,
quotes extensively from Bernard's
sermon on Mary as "Our Lady, Star of
the Sea".[14]
Western types of the Virgin's image,
such as the twelfth-century “Throne of
Wisdom”, in which the Christ Child is
presented frontally as the sum of divine
wisdom, seem to have originated in
Byzantium.[11] This was much used in
Early Netherlandish painting in works like
the Lucca Madonna by Jan van Eyck.

Theologically, one major controversy of

the age was the Immaculate Conception.
Anthony of Padua (1195–1231)
supported Mary's freedom from sin and
her Immaculate Conception.[15][16] His
many sermons on the Virgin Mary
shaped the Mariological approach of
many Franciscans who followed his
approach for centuries after his death.[17]

Oxford Franciscans William of Ware and

especially John Duns Scotus defended
the doctrine. Scotus proposed a solution
to the theological problem involved of
being able to reconcile the doctrine with
that of universal redemption in Christ, by
arguing that Mary's immaculate
conception did not remove her from
redemption by Christ. Rather it was the
result of a more perfect redemption
given to her on account of her special
role in history. Furthermore, Scotus said
that Mary was redeemed in anticipation
of Christ's death on the cross.[18] Scotus'
defense of the immaculist thesis was
summed up by one of his followers as
potuit, decuit ergo fecit – God could do
it, it was fitting that He did it, and so He
did it. Gradually the idea that Mary had
been cleansed of original sin at the very
moment of her conception began to
predominate, particularly after Duns
Scotus dealt with the major objection to
Mary's sinlessness from conception, that
being her need for redemption.[19] The
very divine act, in making Mary sinless at
the first instant of her conception was,
he argued, the most perfect form of
redemption possible.
By the end of the Middle Ages, Marian
feasts were firmly established in the
calendar of the liturgical year. Pope
Clement IV (1265–1268) created a poem
on the seven joys of Mary, which in its
form is considered an early version of
the Franciscan rosary[20]

Renaissance to Baroque

As an example of Baroque painting and architecture, Ettal Abbey, 1776: frescos under the dome, dedicated to the
Assumption of Mary, unite heaven and earth.
Beginning in the 13th century, the
Renaissance period witnessed a
dramatic growth in Marian art, by
masters such as Botticelli, Leonardo da
Vinci and Raphael.[21] Some was
specifically produced to decorate the
Marian churches built in this period.

Major Italian artists with Marian motifs

include: Fra Angelico, Donatello, Sandro
Botticelli, Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Piero di
Cosimo Paolo Uccello Antonello da
Messina Andrea Mantegna, Piero della
Francesca and Carlo Crivelli. Dutch and
German artists with Marian paintings
include: Jean Bellegambe, Hieronymus
Bosch, Petrus Christus, Gerard David
(c.1455–1523), Hubert van Eyck,
Geertgen tot Sint Jans, Quentin Matsys,
Rogier van der Weyden, Albrecht
Altdorfer, Hans Baldung and Albrecht
Dürer. French and Spanish artists with
Marian paintings include: Jean Fouquet,
Jean Clouet, François Clouet,
Barthélemy d'Eyck, Jean Hey (formerly
known as the Master of Moulins),
Bartolomé Bermejo, Ayne Bru, Juan de
Flandes, Jaume Huguet, and Paolo da
San Leocadio.

Francis of Assisi is credited with setting

up the first known presepio or crèche
(Nativity scene). He was also particularly
devoted to Christ's passion and
crucifixion.[22] The influence of the
Franciscans gave rise to a more
affective spirituality. Pope Sixtus IV, a
Franciscan, greatly increased the
prominence given to Mary, introducing
the Presentation of Mary (1472) and
extending the Feast of the Visitation, for
the whole church (1475), and introducing
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception,
observed by the Franciscans since 1263
but strenuously opposed by the
Dominicans and still highly-controversial
in the fifteenth century.[23] Around the
time of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453
many Orthodox monks fled to the West,
bringing with them traditions of
iconography. Depictions of the Madonna
and Child can be traced to the Eastern
Theotokos. In the Western tradition,
depictions of the Madonna were greatly
diversified by Renaissance masters such
as Duccio, Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Raphael, Giovanni Bellini,
Caravaggio and Rubens. The early
Renaissance saw an increased
emphasis on Christ crucified and
therefore Mary as the Sorrowful Mother,
an object of compassionate devotion.[24]
Artists such as Titian depicted Mary as
the Mater Dolorosa.
With the Protestant Reformation, Roman
Catholic Mariology came under attack as
being sacrilegious and superstitious.[25]
Protestant leaders like Martin Luther and
John Calvin, while personally adhering to
Marian beliefs like virgin birth and
sinlessness, considered Catholic
veneration of Mary as competition to the
divine role of Jesus Christ.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina composed numerous Marian Masses.

As a reflection of this theological

opposition, Protestant reformers
destroyed much religious art and Marian
statues and paintings in churches in
northern Europe and England. Some of
the Protestant reformers, in particular
Andreas Karlstadt, Huldrych Zwingli and
John Calvin, encouraged the removal of
religious images by invoking the
Decalogue's prohibition of idolatry and
the manufacture of graven images of
God. Major iconoclastic riots took place
in Zürich (in 1523), Copenhagen (1530),
Münster (1534), Geneva (1535),
Augsburg (1537), and Scotland (1559).
Protestant iconoclasm swept through the
Seventeen Provinces (now the
Netherlands and Belgium and parts of
Northern France) in the summer of 1566.
In the middle of the 16th century, the
Council of Trent confirmed the Catholic
tradition of paintings and artworks in
churches. This resulted in a great
development of Marian art and
Mariology during the Baroque Period.

At the same time, the Catholic world was

engaged in ongoing Ottoman Wars in
Europe against Turkey which were
fought under the auspices of the Virgin
Mary. The victory at Battle of Lepanto
(1571) was accredited to her "and
signified the beginning of a strong
resurgence of Marian devotions,
focusing especially on Mary, the Queen
of Heaven and Earth and her powerful
role as mediator of many graces".[26]
The Colloquium Marianum, an elite
group, and the Sodality of Our Lady
based their activities on a virtuous life,
free of cardinal sins.

The baroque literature on Mary

experienced unforeseen growth with
over 500 pages of Mariological writings
during the 17th century alone.[27] The
Jesuit Francisco Suárez (1548-1617)
was the first theologian who used the
Thomist method on Mariology and is
considered the father of systematic
Mariology.[18] Other well-known
contributors to baroque Mariology are
Lawrence of Brindisi, Robert Bellarmine,
and Francis of Sales. After 1650, the
Immaculate Conception is the subject of
over 300 publications from Jesuit
authors alone.[28]

This popularity was at times

accompanied with Marian excesses and
alleged revelations of the Virgin Mary to
individuals like María de Ágreda.[29]
Many of the baroque authors defended
Marian spirituality and Mariology. In
France, the often anti-Marian Jansenists
were combated by John Eudes and
Louis de Montfort, canonized by Pope
Pius XII.[30]

Baroque Mariology was supported by

several popes during the period: Popes
Paul V and Gregory XV ruled in 1617 and
1622 that it is inadmissible to state that
the virgin was conceived non-
immaculate. Alexander VII declared in
1661 that the soul of Mary was free from
original sin. Pope Clement XI ordered the
feast of the Immaculata for the whole
Church in 1708. The feast of the Rosary
was introduced in 1716 and the feast of
the Seven Sorrows in 1727. The Angelus
prayer was strongly supported by Pope
Benedict XIII in 1724 and by Pope
Benedict XIV in 1742.[31]

Popular Marian piety was more colorful

and varied than ever before: Numerous
Marian pilgrimages, Marian Salve
devotions, new litanies, Marian theatre
plays, Marian hymns, Marian
processions. Marian fraternities, today
mostly defunct, had millions of
members.[32] Lasting impressions from
the baroque Mariology are in the field of
classical music, painting and art,
architecture, and in the numerous
Marian shrines from the baroque period
in Spain, France, Italy, Austria and
Bavaria as also in some South American
cities.

Mariology during the

Enlightenment

Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, 1629.

During the Age of Enlightenment, the
emphasis on scientific progress and
rationalism put Catholic theology and
Mariology on the defensive. The Church
continued to stress the virginity and
special graces, but deemphasized
Marian cults.[33] During this period,
Marian theology was even discontinued
in some seminaries (for example: in
Salzburg Austria in the year 1782[34]).
Some theologians proposed the abolition
of all Marian feast days altogether,
except those with biblical foundations
and the feast of the Assumption.[35]
Nonetheless, in this period a number of
significant Marian churches were built,
often laden with Marian symbols, and
popular Marian devotions continued in
many areas. An example is Santa Maria
della Salute in Venice, built to thank the
Virgin Mary for the city's deliverance
from the plague. The church is full of
Marian symbolism: the great dome
represents her crown, and the eight
sides, the eight points on her symbolic
star.

Many Benedictines such as Celestino

Sfondrati (died 1696) and Jesuits,[36]
supported by pious faithful and their
movements and societies, fought against
the anti-Marian trends. Increasing
secularization led to the forced closing of
most monasteries and convents, and
Marian pilgrimages were either
discontinued or greatly reduced in
number. Some Catholics criticized the
practice of the Rosary as not Jesus-
oriented and too mechanical.[37] In some
places, priests forbade the praying of the
Rosary during Mass.[38] The highly
conservative rural Bavarian dioceses of
Passau outlawed Marian prayer books
and related articles in 1785.[37]
During this time, Mariologists looked to
The Glories of Mary and other
Mariological writings of Alphonsus
Liguori (1696–1787), an Italian, whose
culture was less affected by the
Enlightenment. "Overall, Catholic
Mariology during the Enlightenment lost
its high level of development and
sophistication, but the basics were kept,
on which the 19th century was able to
build."[39]
Mariology in the 19th century

Pope Pius IX (1846–1878) solemnly declared the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.

Mariology in the 19th century was

dominated by discussions about the
dogmatic definition of the Immaculate
Conception and the First Vatican
Council. In 1854, Pope Pius IX, with the
support of the overwhelming majority of
Roman Catholic Bishops whom he had
consulted between 1851 and 1853,
proclaimed the dogma of the
Immaculate Conception, which had been
a traditional belief among the faithful for
centuries.[40]

Eight years earlier, in 1846, the Pope had

granted the unanimous wish of the
bishops from the United States, and
declared the Immaculata the patron of
the US.[41] During the First Vatican
Council, some 108 council fathers
requested adding the words
"Immaculate Virgin" to the Hail Mary
prayer and to add the Immaculata to the
Litany of Loreto. Some fathers requested
the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception to be included in the Creed
of the Church.[42]

Many French Catholics supported

making dogma both Papal infallibility and
the assumption of Mary in the
forthcoming ecumenical council.[43]
During the First Vatican Council, nine
Mariological petitions favored a possible
Assumption dogma. It was strongly
opposed by some council fathers,
especially those from Germany. On 8
May, a majority of the fathers voted to
reject making the Assumption a dogma,
a position shared by Pope Pius IX. The
concept of Co-Redemptrix was also
discussed but left open. In its support,
Council fathers highlighted the divine
motherhood of Mary and called her the
mother of all graces.[44]

"Rosary Pope" is a title given to Pope Leo

XIII (1878–1903) because he issued a
record eleven encyclicals on the Rosary,
instituted the Catholic custom of daily
Rosary prayer during the month of
October, and in 1883 created the Feast
of Queen of the Holy Rosary.[45]
John Henry Newman, wrote of the Eve-
Mary parallel in support of Mary's original
state of grace (Immaculate Conception),
her part in redemption, her
eschatological fulfilment and her
intercession.[46]

Popular opinion remained firmly behind

the celebration of Mary's immaculate
conception. The doctrine itself had been
endorsed by the Council of Basel (1431–
1449), and by the end of the 15th century
was widely professed and taught in
many theological faculties. The Council
of Basel was later held not to have been
a true General (or Ecumenical) Council
with authority to proclaim dogma. Such
was the influence of the Dominicans,
and the weight of the arguments of
Thomas Aquinas (who had been
canonised in 1323 and declared "Doctor
Angelicus" of the Church in 1567) that
the Council of Trent (1545–63) – which
might have been expected to affirm the
doctrine – instead declined to take a
position. It simply reaffirmed the
constitutions of Sixtus IV, which had
threatened with excommunication
anyone on either side of the controversy
who accused the others of heresy.
But it was not until 1854 that Pope Pius
IX, with the support of the overwhelming
majority of Roman Catholic Bishops,
whom he had consulted between 1851
and 1853, proclaimed the doctrine in
accordance with the conditions of papal
infallibility that would be defined in 1870
by the First Vatican Council.

Mariology in the 20th century

In 1904, in the first year of his pontificate,
Pope Pius X celebrated the previous
century's proclamation of the dogma of
Immaculate Conception with the
encyclical Ad diem illum. In 1950, the
dogma of the Assumption was defined
by Pope Pius XII. The Second Vatican
Council spoke of Mary as Mother of the
Church. Fifteen hundred years after the
Council of Ephesus, Pope Pius XI issued
the encyclical Lux Veritatis, reminding
the Orthodox Christians of the common
faith. He presided over a Mariological
congress in 1931.[47]

Mariology in the 20th century reflected

an increased membership in Roman
Catholic Marian Movements and
Societies. At the popular level, the 20th
century witnessed growth in the number
of lay Marian devotional organizations
such as free Rosary distribution groups.
The number of 20th century pilgrims
visiting Marian churches set new
records. In South America alone, two
major Marian basilicas, the Basilica of
the National Shrine of Our Lady of
Aparecida in Brazil and the new Basilica
of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac
hill, were constructed and jointly
recorded over 10 million visitors per year.

Prior to Vatican II, the French

Mariological Society held a three-year
series of Marian studies on the theme of
Mary in relation to the Church.[48]
Second Vatican Council

Mariological issues were included in the

discussions at the Second Vatican
Council (1962–1965), although the
Council indicated that it had not
addressed all Marian issues. The Council
members had in depth discussions
regarding the question of whether to
treat Mary within the Constitution of the
Church or outside it in a separate
document.[49] The final decision, by a
vote of 1114–1074, resulted in the
treatment of Marian issues within the
Church Constitution, as chapter eight of
Lumen gentium.[49] This chapter
provides a "pastoral summary" of
Catholic doctrines on Mary but does not
claim to be complete.[50]

At the conclusion of the Vatican II

Council in December 1965, Catholics
were presented with a multitude of
changes. Some authors such as John W.
O'Malley have commented that these
issues would forever alter Catholic
practices and views, including those
surrounding the Virgin Mary. These
changes reflected the council's desire to
make the Church more ecumenical and
less isolated as it increasingly had
become in the past century.[51] One of
the roadblocks towards finding common
ground was the complaint by other faiths
regarding the Church's dogmas on the
Virgin Mary, and especially the fervor of
the Catholic laity to preserve Mary at the
center of their devotions.[51][52][53]

Mariologists had hoped for a dogma on

Mary as Mediatrix, the foundations of
which were laid by several popes
especially Leo XIII, Pius X, Benedict XV,
and Pius XII. The preparations for the
council included an independent schema
"About the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother
of God and Mother of the People".[50]
Some observers interpreted the
renunciation of this document on Mary
as minimalism, others interpreted her
inclusion as a chapter into the Church
document as underlining her role for the
Church.[50] With the inclusion of Marian
issues within the Constitution of the
Church rather than in a separate
document, at Vatican II the contextual
view of Mary was emphasized, namely
that Mary belongs "within the
Church":[54]

For having been the Associate of

Christ on earth
For being a Heavenly mother to all
members of the Church in the order of
 grace
For having been the model disciple, a
model which every member of the
Church should aim to imitate.[54]

Calling Mary "our mother in the order of

grace", Lumen gentium referred to Mary
as a model for the Church and stated
that:[55][56]

By reason of the gift and role of

divine maternity, by which she is
united with her Son, the
Redeemer, and with His singular
graces and functions, the
Blessed Virgin is also intimately
 united with the Church. As St.
Ambrose taught, the Mother of
God is a type of the Church in
the order of faith, charity and
perfect union with Christ.[57]

The Marian chapter has five parts which

link Mary to the salvation mysteries
which continue in the Church, which
Christ has founded as his mystical body.
Her role in relation to her son is a
subordinate one. Highlighted are her
personality and fullness of grace. The
second part describes her role in
salvation history. Her role as a mediator
is detailed, as Mary is considered to
secure our salvation through her many
intercessions after her assumption into
heaven. The Council refused to adopt
the title mediator of all graces and
emphasized that Christ is the one
mediator.[58]Pope Paul VI declared Mary
Mother of the Church during the Vatican
Council.

Late 20th century

Following Vatican II, the perception that

Marian devotions had decreased was
expressed by several authors. Other
authors have indicated that the
continued strength of devotion to Mary
within Catholicism following Vatican II
has been manifested in multiple forms
worldwide.[59] Examples of this are the
increase in Marian pilgrimages at major
Marian shrines and the construction of
major new Marian Basilicas since
Vatican II.[59]

At the end of the 20th century, two of the

top three most visited Catholic shrines in
the world were Marian, with the Basilica
of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City,
built between 1974 and 1976, being the
most visited Catholic shrine in the
world.[60] In 1968, shortly after Vatican II,
the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our
Lady of Aparecida in Brazil used to
receive about four million pilgrims per
year, but the number has since doubled
to over eight million pilgrims per year,
indicating the significant increase in
Marian pilgrimages since Vatican
II.[59][61][62]

The perceived impact of concessions to

ecumenism made at Vatican II did not
impact the fundamental loyalties to Mary
among Catholics and their attachment to
Marian veneration.[54] A 1998 survey
among young adult Catholics in the
United States provided the following
results:
 Devotion to Mary had not been
reduced in any significant manner
since Vatican II, despite the various
statements made about its perceived
impact on Catholics.
Young Catholics stated that in their
view the "passionate love of God" is
revealed through Mary, possibly as a
result of the Marian emphasis of the
pontificate of Pope John Paul II.
Mary continues to be a "distinctive
marker" of the Catholic identity.[54]

Papal extensions and enhancement to

the Mariology of Vatican II continued
shortly thereafter, with Pope Paul VI
issuing the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis
Cultus (to Honor Mary) in 1974, which
took four years to prepare.[49][63][64]
Marialis Cultus provided four separate
guidelines for the renewal of Marian
veneration, the last two of which were
new in Papal teachings. The four
elements were: biblical, liturgical,
ecumenical and anthropological.[49][63]

Marian devotions were the hallmark of

the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and
he reoriented the Catholic Church
towards the renewal of Marian
veneration.[65][66] In March 1987 he went
further than Paul VI in extending the
Catholic views on Mary beyond Vatican II
by issuing the encyclical Redemptoris
Mater.[49][67] Rather than being just a
new presentation of the Marian views of
Vatican II, Redemptoris Mater was in
many aspects a re-reading, re-
interpretation and further extension of
the teachings of Vatican II.[49][68]

In 1988 in Mulieris Dignitatem Pope John

Paul II stated that the Second Vatican
Council confirmed that: "unless one
looks to the Mother of God, it is
impossible to understand the mystery of
the Church".[69][70] In 2002 in the
Apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae
he emphasized the importance of the
Rosary as a key devotion for all Catholics
and added the Luminous Mysteries to
the Rosary.[65][71]

The Marian Magisterium of John Paul II

may well constitute his single most
important contribution to the Catholic
legacy he left behind.[66] By 2005, when
he died, he had inspired a worldwide
renewal of Marian devotions, that was
reflected upon on the occasion of his
death within non-Catholic media such as
U.S. News & World Report.[54]
21st century
Pope Benedict XVI continued the
program of redirection of the Catholic
Church towards a Marian focus and
stated: "Let us carry on and imitate Mary,
a deeply Eucharistic soul, and our lives
will become a Magnificat".[72][73] In 2008
Benedict composed a prayer on Mary as
the Mother of all Christians:[74]

You became, in a new way, the Mother

of all those who receive your Son
Jesus in faith and choose to follow in
his footsteps.[75]
Benedict journeyed to Marian shrines
such as Lourdes and Fatima to support
his message.[76][77]

See also
Catholicism
portal

Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary

Mariology (Roman Catholic)
Mariology of the popes
Mariology of the saints
Mariology Ecumenical views
Protestant views of Mary

Notes
1. Pope John Paul II, "General Audience", 8
 p , ,
November 1995 (https://www.ewtn.co
m/library/papaldoc/jp2bvm4.htm)
2. Sr. M. Danielle Peters, "An Overview of
New Testament References," The Mary
Page (https://udayton.edu/imri/marian-li
brary/index.php) , retrieved 21 January
2015.
3. Galatians 4:4, "But when the fullness of
the time came, God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman, born under the Law"
(NASB)
4. Burke, Raymond L.; et al. (2008).
Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons,
Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons
ISBN 978-1-57918-355-4 page 587
5. Heart of the Redeemer by Timothy
Terrance O'Donnell 1992 ISBN 0-
89870-396-4 page 83
6. Lumen gentium, Chapter 8 (https://ww
w.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vati
can_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19
641121_lumen-gentium_en.html)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0140906031754/https://www.vatican.v
a/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_counc
il/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lu
men-gentium_en.html) 6 September
2014 at the Wayback Machine
 7. "Blessed Virgin is Mother of the Church"
(http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/
jp2bvm63.htm) . L'Osservatore
Romano. 24 September 1997. Retrieved
18 November 2010.
8. Braaten Carl E., and Jenson, Robert W.
Mary, Mother of God, 2004, ISBN 0-
8028-2266-5 p. 84
9. Butler, Alban and Burns, Paul. Butler's
Lives of the Saints, 1998 ISBN 0-86012-
257-3 pp. 140-141
10. Mary's Immaculate Conception (http://w
ww.ewtn.com/faith/Teachings/marya2.h
tm)
11. "Met Museum" (http://www.metmuseu
m.org/toah/hd/virg/hd_virg.htm) .
metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2 August
2020.
12. Pope Benedict XVI. "General Audience",
21 October 2009, L'Osservatore
Romano, 28 October 2009, p. 24 (http
s://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/b
16ChrstChrch93.htm)
13. Duignan, Brian. Medieval Philosophy,
The Rosen Publishing Group, 2011 (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=5HoJ7
7q1TN8C&dq=Mariology+of+Bernard+of
+Clairvaux&pg=PA63) ISBN 978-1-
61530-143-0
14. Hom. II super "Missus est," 17; Migne, P.
L., CLXXXIII, 70-b, c, d, 71-a. Quoted in
Doctor Mellifluus 31
15. Huber, Raphael Mary, St. Anthony of
Padua: Doctor of the Church Universal,
1948 ISBN 1-4367-1275-0 p. 31
16. Huber, Raphael M. “The Mariology of St.
Anthony of Padua,” in Studia Mariana 7,
Proceedings of the First Franciscan
National Marian Congress in
Acclamation of the Dogma of the
Assumption, October 8–11, 1950
Burlington, Wisconsin
17. Kleinhenz, Christopher. Medieval Italy:
an encyclopedia, Vol. 1, 2003 ISBN 0-
415-93930-5 p. 40
18. Fastiggi, Robert. "11 questions answered
about Mary, OSV Newsweekly, April 29,
2015 (https://www.osv.com/Article/TabI
d/493/ArtMID/13569/ArticleID/17405/11
-questions-answered-about-Mary.asp
x)
19. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic
Dogma, Mercier Press Ltd., Cork,
Ireland, 1955
20. Otto Stegmüller Clemens IV in
Marienkunde, 1159
21. Renaissance Art: A Very Short
Introduction by Geraldine A. Johnson
2005 ISBN 0-19-280354-9 pages 103-
104
22. Robson, Michael J., The Cambridge
Companion to Francis of Assisi,
Cambridge University Press, 2011 (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=HeQKH
Geb8yoC&dq=Francis+of+Assisi+and+t
he+Crucifiction&pg=PA3)
ISBN 9780521760430
23. [Hollingsworth, Mary, Patronage in
Renaissance Italy, John Murray, 1994]
ISBN 0719549264
24. Viladesau, Richard. The Triumph of the
Cross, Oxford University Press, 2008 (htt
ps://books.google.com/books?id=tBM3
JV2W7X4C&dq=Mariology+during+the+
Renaissance&pg=PR76)
ISBN 9780199887378
25. "Ecclesiological History of Mariology :
University of Dayton, Ohio" (https://udayt
on.edu/imri/mary/e/ecclesiological-histo
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Retrieved 1 August 2020.
26. Otto Stegmüller, Barock, in
Marienkunde, 1967 566
27. A Roskovany, conceptu immacolata ex
monumentis omnium seculrorum
demonstrate III, Budapest 1873
28. Otto Stegmüller, Mariologisches
Schrifttum in der Barockzeit, 1967 568
29. who was placed on the Index of
forbidden book of the Church in 1681.
30. although in 1673, the Holy Office itself
acted against his book on slavery.
(Stegmüller, 573)
31. F Zöpfl, Barocke Frömmigkeit, in
Marienkunde, 577
32. Zöpfl 579
33. RG Giessler, die geistliche Lieddichting
im Zeitalter der Aufklärung. 1928, 987
34. Narr Zoepfl Mariologie der Aufklärung,
1967, 411
35. Benedict Werkmeister, 1801
36. such as Anton Weissenbach SJ, Franz
Neubauer SJ,
37. D Narr 417
38. In 1790, monastery schools outlawed the
praying of the rosary during mass as a
distraction. (D Narr 417).
39. Otto Stegmüller, 1967
40. Vatican website (https://www.vatican.v
a/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/al
pha/data/aud19930324en.html)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0110810175256/https://www.vatican.va/
holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alph
a/data/aud19930324en.html) 10
August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
41. Pius IX in Bäumer, 245
42. Bauer 566
43. Civilta Catolica, 6 February 1869.
44. Bäumer 566
45. Lauretanische Litanei, Marienlexikon, St.
Ottilien: Eos, 1988, p.41
46. Newman, John Henry. The Letters and
Diaries of John Henry Newman, ed. C.
S. Dessain, Birmingham Oratory, 31 vols.
(London: Thomas Nelson and Sons,
1972), Vol. XII
47. Bäumer 534
48. "Marie et l’Eglise", ÉtMar 9-11 (1951-53),
3 Vols
49. Mary for Time and Eternity by William
McLoughlin, Jill Pinnock 2007 ISBN 0-
85244-651-9-page 66
50. Leo Cardinal Scheffczyk, Vaticanum II, in
Marienlexikon 567
51. What Happened at Vatican II, John W.
O’Malley. The Belknap Press of Harvard
University Press. London, 2008.
52. The Church: The Evolution of
Catholicism. Richard P. McBrien.
HarperOne. 2008
53. Vatican Council II: The Basic Sixteen
Documents. Rev. Austin Flannery, O.P.
Costello Publishing Company, 1996
54. McNally, Terrence, What Every Catholic
Should Know about Mary ISBN 1-4415-
1051-6-page 30-32
55. "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church –
Lumen gentium, 61" (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20140906031754/https://ww
w.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vati
can_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19
641121_lumen-gentium_en.html) .
Archived from the original (https://www.
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatic
an_council/documents/vat-ii_const_196
41121_lumen-gentium_en.html) on 6
September 2014. Retrieved
18 November 2010.
56. Miravalle, Mark Introduction to Mary
1993, ISBN 978-1-882972-06-7, pp
119–124
57. "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church –
Lumen gentium, 63" (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20140906031754/https://ww
w.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vati
can_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19
641121_lumen-gentium_en.html) .
Archived from the original (https://www.
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatic
an_council/documents/vat-ii_const_196
41121_lumen-gentium_en.html) on 6
September 2014. Retrieved
18 November 2010.
58. Leo Cardinal Scheffczyk, Vaticanum II, in
Marienlexikon 569
59. Mary in the plan of God and in the
communion of the saints by Alain
Blancy, Maurice Jourjon 2002 ISBN 0-
8091-4069-1-page 46
60. "Shrine of Gualdalupe Most Popular in
World" (http://www.ewtn.com/library/M
ARY/ZSHRINE.HTM) . ZENIT
International News Agency. Retrieved
1 October 2010.
61. Brazil rediscovered by Roberta C.
Wigder 1977 ISBN 0-8059-2328-4-
page 235
62. Pilgrimage: from the Ganges to
Graceland : an encyclopedia, Volume 1
by Linda Kay Davidson, David Martin
Gitlitz 2002 ISBN 1-57607-004-2 page
38
63. "Marialis Cultus (February 2, 1974) | Paul
VI" (http://www.vatican.va/content/paul-
vi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf
_p-vi_exh_19740202_marialis-cultus.ht
ml) . vatican.va. Retrieved 2 August
2020.
64. "Magisterial Documents: Marialis Cultus :
University of Dayton, Ohio" (https://udayt
on.edu/imri/mary/m/magisterial-docum
ents-marialis-cultus.php) . udayton.edu.
Retrieved 2 August 2020.
65. John Paul II: a light for the world by Mary
Ann Walsh 2003 ISBN 1-58051-142-2
page 26
66. Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons,
Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons
by Raymond Burke et al. 2008
ISBN 978-1-57918-355-4 pages 392
67. "Redemptoris Mater (25 March 1987) |
John Paul II" (http://www.vatican.va/con
tent/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/docume
nts/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris
-mater.html) . vatican.va. Retrieved
2 August 2020.
68. The Vision of John Paul II by Gerard
Mannion 2008 ISBN 0-8146-5309-X
page 251
69. John Paul II's book of Mary by Pope
John Paul II, Margaret Bunson 1996
ISBN 0-87973-578-3 page 81
70. Vatican website: Mulieris Dignitatem (htt
ps://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_p
aul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_
apl_15081988_mulieris-dignitatem_en.h
tml) Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20070107000833/https://www.vati
can.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_le
tters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_15081988
_mulieris-dignitatem_en.html) 7
January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
71. Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis
Mariae (https://www.vatican.va/holy_fat
her/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/document
s/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virgin
is-mariae_en.html) Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20070209235726/htt
ps://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_p
aul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_
apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae
_en.html) 9 February 2007 at the
Wayback Machine
72. Miravalle, Mark Introduction to Mary
1993, ISBN 978-1-882972-06-7, pages
13 and 99
73. Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons,
Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons
by Raymond Burke 2008 ISBN 978-1-
57918-355-4 page xxi
74. "Missing Page Redirect" (http://www.cw
news.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum
=58489) . cwnews.com. Retrieved
2 August 2020.
75. Vatican website (https://www.vatican.v
a/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/20
08/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20
080515_sheshan_en.html)
76. "12 September 2008: Celebration of
Vespers with priests, religious,
seminarians and deacons gathered at
Notre-Dame Cathedral (Paris) |
BENEDICT XVI" (http://www.vatican.va/c
ontent/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2008/d
ocuments/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20080912_
parigi-vespri.html) . vatican.va.
Retrieved 2 August 2020.
77. Vatican website: Pope Beneict XVI at
Fatima (https://www.vatican.va/holy_fat
her/benedict_xvi/homilies/2010/docume
nts/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20100513_fatima_
en.html) Archived (https://web.archive.
org/web/20141214093001/https://www.
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References
Michael Schmaus, Mariologie,
Katholische Dogmatik, München Vol V,
1955
K Algermissen, Boes, Egelhard,
Feckes, Michael Schmaus, Lexikon
der Marienkunde, Verlag Friedrich
Pustet, Regensburg, 1967
Mariology Society of America
https://web.archive.org/web/2017092
5082500/http://mariologicalsocietyofa
merica.us/
The Marian Library at University of
Dayton
https://udayton.edu/imri/marian-
library/index.php
Pope Pius IX, Apostolic Constitution
Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis
Deus (http://www.newadvent.org/l
 ibrary/docs_pi09id.htm)
[Pope Pius XII], encyclicals and bulls
Encyclical Fulgens Corona on the
Vatican website (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20080429114450/htt
ps://www.vatican.va/holy_father/
pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf
_p-xii_enc_08091953_fulgens-co
rona_en.html)
Encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam on
the Vatican website (https://web.a
rchive.org/web/20101007103544/
https://www.vatican.va/holy_fathe
r/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/
hf_p-xii_enc_11101954_ad-caeli-r
eginam_en.html)
Encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi
on the Vatican website (https://we
b.archive.org/web/200903172354
59/https://www.vatican.va/holy_fa
ther/pius_xii/encyclicals/documen
ts/hf_p-xii_enc_29061943_mystic
i-corporis-christi_en.html)
Apostolic Constitution
Munificentissimus Deus on the
Vatican Website (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20130904181017/http
s://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pi
us_xii/apost_constitutions/docum
 ents/hf_p-xii_apc_19501101_muni
ficentissimus-deus_en.html)
Pope John Paul II, encyclical, apostolic
letters and addresses
Encyclical Redemptoris Mater on
the Vatican website (https://www.
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_i
i/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_e
nc_25031987_redemptoris-mater
_en.html)
Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis
Mariae on the Vatican Website (htt
ps://web.archive.org/web/200702
09235726/https://www.vatican.v
a/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_l
etters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20
021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_
en.html)
Pope John Paul II on Saint Louis
de Montfort (https://web.archive.o
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ww.catholicregister.org/content/vi
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Further reading
Gambero, Luigi. Mary and the Fathers
of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary
in Patristic Thought, trans. Thomas
Buffer (San Francisco: Ignatius Press,
1999).

External links
Rubin, Miri, Mother of God (https://boo
ks.google.com/books?id=yB45VtoCC5
cC&dq=Mother+of+God&pg=PA19) ,
Yale University Press, 2009
ISBN 9780300156133

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