Never thought it would happen.
The 5th Marian Dogma.
Even though many people I’ve known over the years - priests, nuns, and devout friends, not to mention unbelieving friends, have told me that I am overly pious, devotional, and naive, I have always been something of a skeptic. For instance, I never believed the Third Secret of Fatima would ever have been revealed in my lifetime. (I know, some people think it wasn’t.) Nor did I think it possible to canonize Padre Pio in a post-Vatican II Church. While I never imagined the resurgence of traditionalism which is currently sweeping the Church.
News this past week that members of the College of Cardinals are organizing a worldwide petition from fellow Cardinals and Bishops for the Holy Father to proclaim as dogma Our Lady’s privileges of Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate, and Mother of all humanity, came as a big surprise to me. I never thought I would see this in my lifetime either. The very notion always seemed to be the product of apparitions and heavenly messages, promoted by laity and a few theologians. Although these titles of the Blessed Virgin have a venerable tradition, and have been used by previous popes and saints, the proclamation of a dogma never seemed much of an issue until our day.
(Can you hear the theme from the Twilight Zone off in the distance? That is because many of the pious faithful associate this 5th Marian dogma with all sorts of signs and wonders, warnings and chastisements - as well as an era of peace and the defeat of evil. We’ll see.)
Links:
Cardinals Initiate Worldwide Cardinal-Bishop Petition to Pope for the Proclamation of a Marian Dogma
February 10th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I think this was tried before but unsuccessfully. I also believe that those who are attempting this are going to be met with resistance from within the Church by those who are opposed to the proposed dogma.
February 10th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I think you are right Tom.
February 10th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
You know what’s even weirder for me ?
In the early 80’s Malachi Martin wrote in ‘Vatican’ that JPII would witness the re-unification of Germany - something nobody would have believed would occur by the end of the decade…
In his second last published book - The Keys of His Blood - he has the pope proclaiming as Dogma Our Lady as co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of all grace.
The Immaculate Conception and the Most Glorious Assumption were used as catechetical as well as doctrinal bastions/sentinels set up against any potential compromise regarding already present dogma via modernism etc.
original sin - man’s humanity was under threat. enter immaculate conception.
bodily incarnation - bodily resurrection - The full humanity and divinity of Jesus was under threat - enter the Assumption.
there is always a why….
February 10th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I just wonder why they’re putting all the energy into it. Not that I disagree with it; it actually kind of follows as a corollary of the other Marian dogmas. But does it need stand-alone status?
It reminds me of the time our state legislature couldn’t figure out how to solve various knotty problems, so they decided to declare the honey-bee our state insect. At least they could feel like they were doing something. (No, I’m not comparing Mary to a honey-bee!)
February 10th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
i do not think it is so much it will be met with resistance, just different ways to express it. There was a real grass roots effort to have this proclaimed during PJP2, and it was Cardinal Ratzinger and others who cautioned more study and relection on this…..
February 10th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
All the titles, with the exception of Co-Redemptrix, were used in the teaching of Vatican II (chapter 8 of Lumen Gentium). In their regard, the suggested petition appears to suggest nothing new. I think a careful examination should be given to the title “Mother of the Church”, as proclaimed by Paul VI at the time of the Council. Should this be the preferred title that expresses what mediatrix/co-redemptrix has to say?
February 10th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I like “Mother of the Church” as Joe suggested.
There is also the question of what proclaiming another Marian dogma would do to the cause of rapprochement with the Orthodox Christians.
February 13th, 2008 at 1:44 am
It’ll happen. In God’s good time. If He wants it to. Like Vatican II.