Roman Catholic Mariology - Papal Teachings On The Blessed Virgin Mary

Papal Teachings On The Blessed Virgin Mary

Popes have been an important element in shaping both the theological and the devotional aspects of the Roman Catholic perspective on the Virgin Mary. Theologically, popes have highlighted the inner link between Virgin Mary and the full acceptance of Jesus Christ as son of God, the encyclicals Mystici Corporis, Lumen Gentium and Redemptoris Mater being examples. Furthermore, popes have fostered the veneration of the Blessed Virgin through the promotion of Marian devotions, feast days, prayers, initiatives, the acceptance and support of Marian congregations, and, the formal recognition of Marian apparitions such as in Lourdes and Fátima.

Popes have at times followed on devotions initiated by previous popes, for instance in the 16th century, Pope Clement VIII started the venerative practice of crowning Marian images, a practice that was followed by pope Pius XII in the 20th century via the crowning of the Salus Populi Romani icon, as he declared the Queenship of Mary. Similarly, popes Alexander VII and Clement X both promulgated the veneration of the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary, a concept which was embraced by pope John Paul II in the 20th century as the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

A number of Marian papal encyclicals and Apostolic Letters have been issued since the 16th century. Pope Leo XIII issued 11 encyclicals just on the Rosary. In Ecclesiam Suam Pope Paul VI called Mary the "ideal of Christian perfection"." These papal documents reflect the support of the popes for both Marian devotions and Marian doctrines. The two Marian dogmas of Assumption and Immaculate Conception were established by popes in the 20th century. In 1904 at the 50th anniversary of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Saint Pope Pius X with the encyclical Ad diem illum encouraged the entire Church to honor the Virgin Mary.

In recent years, popes have emphasized the role of Mary as the Mother of the Church and the Marian elements of Christology. In his 2002 Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II quoted Saint Louis de Montfort, and said:

Since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ."