Why Now? The Vatican’s Odd ‘Clarification’ of Marian Piety, by Phil Lawler

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture, Nov 05, 2025

Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org.  See full bio.

So now we see the price that the Catholic Church must pay for the years of confusion over matters of doctrine during the reign of Pope Francis. When the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) publishes a statement, designed to clarify the proper language to use in praise of the Virgin Mary, faithful Catholics—who in the past would have carefully heeded such a cautionary note from the Vatican’s top doctrinal body—see the document as an offense against piety and a betrayal of the perennial tradition.

On its face, Mater Populi Fidelis, the document released by the DDF this week, would seem to be devoted to a somewhat arcane issue, of interest mainly to theologians. The vast majority of Catholics were unaware of the controversy surrounding the use of the title “Co-Redemptrix” to honor the Virgin. That title had been used for generations, by saints and scholars and popes, without causing any noticeable distress among the faithful. But in recent years a small cadre of Marian scholars has pushed for the Church to give formal recognition to the title. And for some reason, in this season of uncertainty, the DDF decided to respond to those pleas, in the negative. …

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