The Saints of Africa
Why I Am Not Comfortable With the Title of Co-Redemptrix for Our Blessed Mother at This Time
On 4 November 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document entitled Mater Populi Fidelis (Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation) in which they addressed the use of the titles of Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces for Our Blessed Mother. In two previous articles on Catholic 365, I examined Mater Populi Fidelis and its significance for Marian devotions. I will offer my opinion about the Mediatrix of All Graces title at a later date. In this article, I will explain why I am not comfortable with using the Co-Redemptrix title at this time.
I have spent much time in prayer, research and contemplation in assessing Mater Populi Fidelis and its meaning for Marian devotions. I have a deep love and devotion to Our Blessed Mother and so I have approached this issue with both love and due diligence in discernment.
I am not comfortable with referring to Our Blessed Mother with the title “Co-Redemptrix” at this time and it is not because Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is discouraging the use of this title with the approval of Pope Leo XIV.
In Mater Populi Fidelis, the Dicastery states:
“Given the necessity of explaining Mary’s subordinate role to Christ in the work of Redemption, it is always inappropriate [emphasis in original] 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, 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” (Acts 4:12).”
The Dicastery is correct. The title Co-Redemptrix does create confusion and it does imply that Mary’s role in salvation is equal or nearly equal to that of Jesus’s role.
The prefix “Co” can signify a subordinate position such as a co-pilot versus a pilot but it can also signify an equal or equivalent position such as co-captains on a sports team or co-chair persons in an organization. The context of its use determines the true meaning of the prefix. This may sound like a game of semantics but in this instance the misinterpretation of its true meaning has profound effects that can lead to confusion about Our Blessed Mother’s role in the salvation of humanity.
Our Blessed Mother has an undeniably vital role in the salvation of humanity. From the Annunciation to the Nativity to the Wedding at Cana to the Way of the Cross to Calvary to the Resurrection to her Assumption into Heaven and her Crowning as Queen of the Universe and her many earthly appearances since then, Mary Conceived Without Sin, Mother of us all, has willingly and lovingly cooperated in the mission of her Son our Savior.
As Jesus hung upon the Cross suffering and dying for our sins and our salvation, Our Blessed Mother stood with Saint John at the foot of her Son’s cross supporting him and suffering emotionally and spiritually along with him as only a mother can.
Our Blessed Mother’s suffering at the foot of the Cross while her Son our Savior suffered and died for us has incomparable value for us, for the Church, for humanity and for every mother and father who has lost a child, including my wife and I.
By his Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection, Jesus redeemed humanity from its sins and restored that which was lost by the disobedience and sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Our Blessed Mother’s role in humanity’s salvation is a supporting role. That is the key term - supporting. Affording her the title Co-Redemptrix implies a role in humanity’s salvation equivalent or nearly equivalent to that of Our Savior her Son, a role that she does not play.
I am not a fan of Cardinal Fernandez. Both he and the late Pope Francis have created a significant amount of confusion with some of their theological pronouncements. Several of their statements are contradictory to the authentic teachings of the Gospel, Holy Scripture and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. This is especially true with regard to homosexual lifestyles and their advocacy for climate change and other environmental issues. I especially have been a critic of how they redefined the criteria for evaluating alleged supernatural phenomena, in particular Marian apparitions. You can find my criticisms on this Catholic365 website.
Critics counter Mater Populi Fidelis with arguments based on statements of other popes including Pope Saint John Paul II and Saint Pius X. However, the document also draws significantly upon teachings of the late Pope Benedict XVI. Mater Populi Fidelis quoted then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as saying in 1996…
“The precise meaning of these titles is not clear, and the doctrine contained in them is not mature. A defined doctrine of divine faith belongs to the Depositum Fidei — that is, to the divine revelation conveyed in Scripture and the apostolic tradition. However, it is not clear how the doctrine expressed in these titles is present in Scripture and the apostolic tradition.” (See paragraph 19).
Furthermore, then Cardinal Ratzinger reiterated his concerns about the Co-Redemptrix title in a 2002 interview with reporter Peter Seewald that was later published in God and the World: Believing and Living in Our Time. When asked about the title by Seewald, Cardinal Ratzinger answered in part
“The response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is, broadly, that what is signified by this is already better expressed in other titles of Mary, while the formula *Co-redemptrix” departs to too great an extent from the language of Scripture and of the Fathers and therefore gives rise to misunderstandings.”
Cardinal Ratzinger’s 2002 opposition to the Co-Redemptrix title is quoted in part in Mater Populi Fidelis. See also https://prodigalcatholic.com/pope-benedict-xvis-opposition-to-co-redemptrix/
I hold Pope Benedict XVI in as high regard as I do Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Leo XIII. Pope Benedict XVI’s statements on this issue cannot be easily dismissed.
Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) issued by the Second Vatican Council further convinces me that the Co-Redemptrix title is inappropriate at this time.
Released in November 1964, Lumen Gentium spoke at length about the role of Our Blessed Mother in the Church. This section from paragraph 62 is particularly relevant to our discussion:
“By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix.(16*) This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator.(17*) For no creature could ever be counted as equal with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer.”
I draw your attention especially to this sentence: “Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix.” The title Mediatrix appears in this short list, but without the phrase “of All Graces.” More significantly, the title Co-Redemptrix does not appear at all in this short list.
Over the millennia, the Church has recognized many beautiful titles to celebrate Our Blessed Mother’s unique and irreplaceable role in humanity’s salvation. She is the Theotokos - the Mother of God. She is the Queen of Peace, the Mother of God, the Mother of Mercy, the Star of the Sea, the Immaculate Conception, Queen of the Knights of Columbus, and Our Lady of the Rosary, just to name a few. The Litany of Loreto is a most beautiful expression of devotion to Our Blessed Mother, using numerous titles to honor her. See https://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/litanie-lauretane_en.html
Our Blessed Mother is honored with many titles that recognize and celebrate her unique role in humanity’s salvation. Not referring to her as Co-Redemptrix does not diminish her role in humanity’s salvation in any way. Rather, as the Dicastery rightly states, it diminishes any legitimate confusion that is associated with the title.
This is my opinion based on careful prayer, research and contemplation. I encourage you once again to read Mater Populi Fidelis and pray over this matter. I also encourage you to listen to Eric Sammons’s podcast on the Co-Redemptrix issue https://crisismagazine.com/podcast/mary-as-co-redemptrix-inappropriate . Sammons is Editor in Chief of Crisis Magazine and his podcast is a very thoughtful and balanced analysis of this issue. I wish that I had known of his podcast before I wrote my first article as I would certainly have included his thoughts in it.
At this time, I am not comfortable with the use of the Co-Redemptrix title for Our Blessed Mother because of Pope Benedict XVI’s assessment of it and because of its deliberate exclusion from Lumen Gentium.
This matter does require further study, contemplation and prayer and so I will continue to do so.
If I am wrong in my analysis of the Co-Redemptrix title, then I pray for the Holy Spirit to guide me to the truth.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
About the Author
Bryan J. Dickerson is an author and historian specializing in military and naval history, and Catholicism. He earned his BA in History from Rowan University (NJ), MA in American History from Monmouth University (NJ) and a graduate Certificate in Archival Studies from Louisiana State University. His writings have appeared online and in print in such publications as Columbia (the magazine of the Knights of Columbus) and Celebrate Life (the magazine of the American Life League). He is a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a Past Grand Knight of a council in New Jersey. His book The Liberators of Pilsen: the U.S. 16th Armored Division in World War II Czechoslovakia was published by McFarland Books in 2018 and his book Dive Bomber Down: James A. Nist Naval Aviator in the Pacific War is now available from McFarland Books. He has also self-published sixeen books, including In the Name of COVID: The Assault on Religious Freedom in 2020. A former U.S. Navy Reserve Religious Program Specialist 1st Class (Fleet Marine Force), he mobilized and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom twice. He and his wife Lisa have four children and live in southern New Jersey.
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