Vatican Clarifies: Mary Did Not Save The World, Only Jesus Is Redeemer

The Vatican has firmly rejected moves to formally proclaim Mary as co-redemptrix or co-mediatrix, stating that only Jesus Christ is the redeemer of the world. The clarification came through a lengthy doctrinal note approved by Pope Leo XIV and published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on November 4.

The doctrinal note, titled "Mater Populi Fidelis" or "Mother of the Faithful People of God," said the title co-redemptrix or co-redeemer "carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ" in salvation.

Regarding the title co-mediatrix or co-mediator, the document stated that Mary, "the first redeemed, could not have been the mediatrix of the grace that she herself received." However, it said the title may be used when it does not cast doubt on "the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man."

Pope Leo XIV approved the text on October 7 and ordered its publication. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the doctrinal dicastery, presented the document during a conference at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome and said its teaching becomes part of the church's "ordinary magisterium" and must be considered authoritative.

For more than 30 years, some Catholics, including some bishops, have asked for formal dogmatic declarations of Mary as co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix. Monsignor Armando Matteo, secretary of the dicastery's doctrinal section, told the conference that the Vatican's first study of the doctrinal implications of the titles goes all the way back to 1926.

The new document said that titles used for Mary should speak of her motherly care for all people and her place as the first and perfect disciple of Jesus but must not create any doubt that Catholics believe Jesus is the redeemer of the world and the bestower of grace.

"Any gaze directed at her that distracts us from Christ or that places her on the same level as the Son of God would fall outside the dynamic proper to an authentically Marian faith," the document stated, because Mary always points to her son.

The titles co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix have been used in reference to Mary by theologians and even popes in the past millennium, the doctrinal dicastery said, but without elaborating on the precise meaning and the extent to which those titles could describe Mary's role in salvation history.

Saint John Paul II "referred to Mary as Co-redemptrix on at least seven occasions," the note said, but after consultation with the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and its prefect, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in 1996, he did not issue a dogmatic declaration and stopped using the title.

Citing Scripture and tradition, the future Pope Benedict XVI said, "The precise meaning of these titles, co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix, is not clear, and the doctrine contained in them is not mature."

"Everything comes from Him, Christ, as the Letter to the Ephesians and the Letter to the Colossians, in particular, tell us; Mary, too, is everything that she is through Him. The word Co-redemptrix would obscure this origin," Pope Benedict said.

Pope Francis, at a general audience in 2020, said that Jesus entrusted Mary to humanity as a mother, "not as a goddess, not as co-redemptrix," adding that love motivated some people to call her co-redemptrix, but love often leads people to "exaggerate."

"Given the necessity of explaining Mary's subordinate role to Christ in the work of Redemption, it would not be appropriate to use the title Co-redemptrix to define Mary's cooperation," the doctrinal note said.

The title, it said, "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, for there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

"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 dicastery concluded.

The use of the title co-mediatrix is more complicated, the doctrinal note said, because the word "mediation" often is "understood simply as cooperation, assistance or intercession" and easily could apply to Mary without calling into question "the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man."

Mary's role in salvation history is unique, the document said. She willingly accepted to become the mother of Jesus the savior, she raised him, traveled with him, and stood at the foot of his cross.

While Christ, fully human and fully divine, is the one mediator between God and humanity, it said, "he enables various forms of participation in his salvific plan because, in communion with him, we can all become, in some way, cooperators with God and mediators for one another."

The late Pope Francis fiercely opposed granting Mary the title of co-redeemer, at one point calling the idea "foolishness." "She never wanted to take anything for herself from her son," Francis, who died in April 2025, said in 2019. His predecessor, Benedict XVI, also opposed the title.

THE CRUSADER'S OPINION

The Vatican got this right. Mary is blessed among women, the mother of Jesus. But she did not save the world. Only Christ redeems.

Only Christ mediates between God and man.

For thirty years, some Catholics pushed to elevate Mary to co-redeemer.

The Vatican finally said no.

There is salvation in no one else.

No other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Soli Deo Gloria.

TAKE ACTION

Affirm that Jesus Christ alone is the Redeemer and encourage proper biblical theology:

1. Study Scripture on Salvation
   Key Passages: 1 Timothy 2:5, Acts 4:12, John 14:6, Romans 5:8-11
   Action: Read and study the biblical teaching that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity. Share these verses with Catholic friends and family members. Discuss the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
2. Distribute Protestant Resources on Salvation
   Ligonier Ministries: https://www.ligonier.org
   Reformation Trust Publishing: https://www.reformationtrust.com
   Action: Obtain and share resources that clearly explain the biblical doctrine of salvation. Consider books like "Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification" by R.C. Sproul. Give these to Catholic friends with love and respect.
3. Respectfully Engage Catholic Friends
   Action: Use this Vatican document as an opportunity for respectful dialogue with Catholic friends. Acknowledge that the Vatican rejected the co-redemptrix title. Discuss how this moves closer to the biblical teaching that Christ alone saves. Share the Gospel clearly: salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, not through Mary's intercession.
4. Support Ministries Reaching Catholics
   Berean Beacon: https://bereanbeacon.org
   Christian Witness to Roman Catholicism: https://www.cwrc-rca.org
   Action: These ministries help Catholics understand biblical Christianity. Donate to support their work. Request resources to help you engage in respectful, loving conversations with Catholic family and friends about salvation in Christ alone.
5. Pray for Catholics to Know Christ Alone
   Action: Commit to praying for Catholics to understand that salvation is through Christ alone, not through Mary's intercession or merit. Pray for Catholic family members and friends to experience the freedom of knowing that Jesus is the only mediator. Pray for boldness to share the Gospel with love.
6. Teach Your Church About the Five Solas
   The Five Solas of the Reformation:
   • Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
   • Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
   • Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
   • Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
   • Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)
     Action: Request that your pastor teach a series on the Five Solas. Host a study group on Reformation theology. Emphasize that Christ alone is our Redeemer, Mediator, and Savior. Use the Vatican's rejection of co-redemptrix as an example of how even Rome sometimes acknowledges Christ's exclusive role in salvation.

Talking Points for Conversations:

• "The Vatican rightly rejected calling Mary co-redeemer. Only Jesus Christ saves"
• "1 Timothy 2:5 says there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Not Mary"
• "Acts 4:12 declares salvation is found in no one else. There is no other name by which we must be saved"
• "Even the Catholic Church acknowledges that calling Mary co-redemptrix risks eclipsing Christ's exclusive role in salvation"
• "Mary was blessed to be Jesus' mother, but she needed a Savior herself. She cannot save others"
• "The Reformation recovered the biblical truth: salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. This Vatican document moves slightly closer to that truth"