The Vatican has released a new decree that says no to calling the Virgin Mary a “co-redeemer.” Pope Leo XIV approved this document, which stresses that Jesus Christ is the only one who saved humanity.
The decree comes from the Vatican’s main office on faith teachings, called the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and okayed by the Pope on October 7, 2025. It was made public on November 4, 2025.
This ends a long debate in the Catholic Church about Mary’s role in salvation. Some people wanted to make “co-redemptrix” an official title, meaning Mary shares in Jesus’s work of saving people. But the decree says this could confuse folks and take away from Jesus’s unique role as the one and only Redeemer.
The document calls Mary the “Mother of the Faithful People.” It honors her as Jesus’s mom and a helper to believers, but makes clear she didn’t save the world alongside him. Mary said “yes” to God’s plan at the Annunciation and stood by Jesus at the cross, but the saving power came only from him.
Past popes had mixed views. Pope John Paul II used the title early on but dropped it later. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis opposed it—Francis even called the idea “foolishness” because Mary wouldn’t take any credit from her son. The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s also skipped the title to avoid issues with other Christians.
The decree also warns against calling Mary the “Mediatrix of all graces” in a way that might overshadow Jesus as the main go-between for God and people.
Experts say this helps keep Catholic teachings clear and supports unity with other churches. Cardinal Fernández noted it might upset some fans of the title, but it’s needed to stay true to the Bible and church history
