BY JULIE IRWIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Mary depicted at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington.
(Michael E. Keating photo)
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Over centuries, the Roman Catholic Church has developed cherished beliefs about Mary, the mother of Jesus: that she was a virgin, the mother of God, preserved from original sin and united body and soul with her son in heaven.
Now, 48 years after the last dogma was proclaimed, Catholic scholars, Marian devotees and even Pope John Paul II are pondering another matter: Is Mary a co-redeemer, mediator and advocate for believers on earth, and should the church officially recognize her as such?
Scholars from Europe and North America will take up the question this weekend at the University of Dayton, whose library houses the world's largest collection of printed material on Mary. Since the movement to change Mary's status picked up steam five years ago, Marian experts have met regularly to debate it.
But the subject is not limited to academic circles. Advocates for the new titles have gathered more than five million signatures in a petition drive aimed at the pope, and enthusiasm is high at Marian centers, such as Norwood's Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center. Until and unless the pope speaks definitively on the subject the debate seems likely to continue.
"There has been no reaction on the part of the Vatican absolutely against (the new dogma). This (meeting) is not a no-no on the part of the church," said the Rev. Johann Roten, director of the Marian Library-International Marian Research Institute at UD and organizer of "Mary's Place in Redemption."
"And since the movement in favor of (the new dogma) is still around, and still doing well, we thought it would be a good idea to look at it from different points of view."
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IF YOU GO
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What: "Mary's Place in Redemption"
When: Today, 2-8 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon
Where: The University of Dayton's Sears Recital Hall in the Jesse Philips Humanities Center
Registration: $15
Information: Marian Library, (937) 229-4214
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The movement for a new, formal statement on Mary began in the 1920s and lasted for about a quarter-century. Although it died down following World War II, it began again in earnest in 1993, when theologian Mark Miravalle began a petition drive.
Mr. Miravalle, who teaches at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, believes a proclamation from Pope John Paul II would simply formalize what Catholics already believe. His organization, Vox Populi, says it has the backing of 42 cardinals and nearly 500 bishops, in addition to the five million-plus signatures.
"This movement is seeking to raise truth to dogma, to a greater appreciation of the truth," he said. "My own personal conviction is we will have a declaration by the jubilee year (2000)."
The three titles in the movement -- Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces, and Advocate for the People of God -- refer to three distinct roles for Mary. As advocate, Mary is believed to bring the faithful's prayers and petitions to Jesus' attention. Mediatrix refers to her distribution of the graces from Jesus' suffering, while co-redemptrix means that Mary participates in her son's work of salvation by virtue of her own suffering.
It is the last title that some consider the most problematic, fearing it elevates Mary to a level equal with Jesus. (It doesn't, Mr. Miravalle says, noting that "co-" means with, not equal.) Opponents worry that ecumenical relations would be severely damaged, since Protestants have never placed the emphasis on Mary that Catholics do. And they fear that it is too early, and the ideas too poorly understood, for the pope to take infallible action.
"Let's do it after having thought about what was said at Vatican II and after about Mary," said Father Roten, who with other scholars advised the pope against the matter two years ago in Czestochowa, Poland. "Let's speak to people who might have different opinions, such as other denominations. Let's make sure people in our church have a better idea of what the dogma means and what the existing dogmas are."
Supporters and critics of the new titles agree that the movement is part of an increase this decade in Marian devotion. From Medjujorge in the former Yugoslavia to Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, pilgrims gather regularly to honor Mary and perhaps catch a glimpse of her. Most greet the proposed dogma with enthusiasm.
"We've always believed Mary is the mediatrix of all graces and advocate. The only completely new concept is Mary as co-redemptrix, and I believe that with all my heart and soul," said the Rev. Leroy Smith, president of the Norwood center. "She was with Christ in his ministry. She saw how he was rejected and of course she walked the way of the cross with him."
Mary's appeal, though, extends beyond Marian centers to include liberation theologians, feminists and advocates for the poor. As an associate professor of theology at Xavier University, Gillian Ahlgren doesn't notice the new dogma generating much interest in her field, since Scriptural sources about Mary are so few. But the idea of Mary as mediator and advocate has another attraction for her.
"I'm a mother, and a lot of the questions I have about my life and what I ought to do revolve around my role as a mother," she said. "The idea that the person you're asking has had the same experiences and the same questions -- I'd feel more freedom asking and lifting up concerns and questions knowing the person on the other end had thought through many of the same things."
If the pope proclaims Mary co-redemptrix, mediatrix and advocate, it would be the Roman Catholic Church's fifth Marian dogma, and the third in less than 150 years. The church has always held that Mary was a virgin, and the Council of Ephesus declared her the mother of God in 431. The Immaculate Conception, meaning Mary was preserved from original sin, was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854, while Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption -- that Mary was taken to heaven body and soul -- in 1950. Both modern proclamations followed massive petition drives similar to the one under way now.
Until John Paul II speaks on the subject, it likely will remain a controversial and widely discussed matter among Catholics. Father Roten hopes all the attention on the subject educates people on the existing Marian dogmas.
And the Rev. Mr. Smith, while he hopes the new dogma is proclaimed, concedes it wouldn't make much difference to Marian devotees like himself.
"It would give us a little bit better understanding as far as Mary and her suffering, but I can't see that (the new dogma) would do much to change our devotion to her anyway," he said. "Most of us believe it anyhow."
