Mother of The Church - St. Ambrose and Hugo Rahner

St. Ambrose and Hugo Rahner

The use of the Mater Ecclesiae title to the Virgin Mary goes back to Ambrose of Milan in the 4th century, but this was not known until its 1944 rediscovery by Hugo Rahner. Rahner's Mariology, following Ambrose, sees Mary in her role within the Church. His interpretation, based solely on Ambrose and the early Fathers, greatly influenced Vatican II and Pope Paul VI, who, quoting Ambrose, declared Mary the "mother of the Church", a view continued by Popes John Paul II and Joseph Ratzinger, who, prior to his election to the papacy, stated that it was Hugh Rahner's "greatest achievement".