Pius IX.

Pius IX (Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti), Pope from 16.6.1846 to 7.2.1878, b. 13.5.1892 in Sinigaglia, 1819 priest, worked 1823-25 in South America, 1827 Archbishop of Spoleto, 1832 of Imola, 1840 Cardinal. After his election as Pope, he was initially very popular. However, when he refused to take part in Italy’s war against Austria, the mood of the Italians turned against him. On 24 November 1848, he had to flee to Gaeta from the revolutionaries. It was not until 12.4.1850, under the protection of the French, that he was able to return to Rome again, but the end of the ecclesiastical state was already foreseeable.

The most important events in his papacy were the definition of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the convening of the First Vatican Council, which, among other things, defined the primacy and infallibility of the Pope.

Pius was a great venerator of Mary and favoured defining the dogmatic truth of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. As the requests for a definition grew stronger, he set up a theological commission and, in the 1849  with encyclical “Ubi primum”, asked bishops around the world for their position and the opinion of priests and faithful on the issue. Nine-tenths of the bishops were in favour of the definition. On 8.12.1854, with the bull “Ineffabilis Deus”, he proclaimed the dogmatic truth. It is known that the Slovenian Mariologist Janez Ludvik Schöneben wrote a whole series of books in support of this religious truth as early as the 17th century. (See A. Strle, The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, in: The Year of Saints 4, Mohorjeva družba Celje 2000, 548-564).

Pope Pius IX, however, did not support the desire of some theologians for the First Vatican Council to define the Assumption of Mary alongside papal infallibility. While he was convinced of the truth of the Assumption and saw the close connection between the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, he was reluctant to make a dogmatic definition. Pius introduced the “Marian Century”. His importance for Mariology and the promotion of Marian devotion is quite great. In 1870 he proclamed Saint Joseph as »patron of universal Church«.

Leo XIII.

Leo XIII (Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci), Pope from 20.21878 to 20.7.1903, b. 2.3.1810 in Caprinoto near Anagni, 1837 priest, 1834 nuncio in Belgium, 1846 Bishop of Perugia, 1853 Cardinal. As Pope he continued the ecclesiastical policy of Pius IX. In his first encyclical, he made the reconciliation of Church and culture the goal of his papacy. He sought to continue the reforms of the First Vatican Council. Theologically, he worked for a renewal of Thomism and 1879 in his encyclical “Aeterni Patris” recommended St Thomas as a model for philosophical and theological studies. 1891 in the encyclical letter “Rerum novarum” he proposed the Christian social doctrine.

He was distinguished by his deep piety. He promoted the adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and consecrated humanity to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1900. In Mariology, he stressed Mary’s unique role in God’s redemptive plan. Drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas, he argued that at the Annunciation Mary assumed the role of helper in the mystery of salvation. Together with the Son of God, Mary carried the redeemed spiritually in her lap. Therefore, all the redeemed are Mary’s children. He strongly defended the idea that Mary is the mediator of all graces – especially in his Rosary circulars “Octobris mense” (1891) and “Fidentem de Rosario” (1896). He described pilgrimages as a petition to Mary.

Mary is the Mother of the Church and of humanity, the Lady of heaven and earth, the teacher of the apostles and the Queen of the martyrs, the most powerful of the saints, the mediator between God and men, and the pattern of all virtues.

Leon promoted Marian Congresses. He recommended the prayer of the Litanies of Laureate and in 1883 added the invocation “Queen of the Most Holy Rosary” and “Mother of the Good Counsel”. He made the feast of the Rosary obligatory for the whole Church. He published many circulars on the Rosary (in 1883, 1884, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898 and 1901) and especially in October recommended the prayer of the Rosary in the family and in the Church. He also introduced the May devotion and the veneration of the Sorrowful Mother of God. In his encyclical “Adjutricem populi”, he called Mary “Help of Christians”. Through Mary’s intercession, the unity of the Church, especially with the Eastern Churches, was to be sought.

In 1879, Leo crowned the statue of the Virgin Mary from La Salette. On the occasion of the consecration of the pilgrimage church of Lourdes in 1901, he dedicated to the place the exhortation “Parte humanae generis”. In 1894, he confirmed the feast of the Miraculous Medal. Pope Leo promoted the veneration of St Joseph and published an encyclical on him, “Quamquam pluries”, in 1889.

Pius X.

Pius X (Giuseppe Sarto), Pope from 4 August 1903 to 20 August 1914, saint, feast day 3 September, b. 2.6.1835 in Riese near Treviso, 1858 priest, 1884 Bishop of Mantua, 1893 Patriarch and Cardinal of Venice. When Austria vetoed the election of Cardinal Rampolla in the conclave, Sarto was elected Pope. Unlike Leo XIII, he was reticent about politics and concentrated his effectiveness on matters within the Church. He worked to deepen the spiritual life of the faithful, promoting daily Holy Communion by his decrees and lowering the age for children to receive First Holy Communion. His concern was the renewal of Christian society under the motto “To renew all things in Christ”, as he wrote in his circular letter of 4.10.1903. He also strived to renew church law and administration.

The Pope’s teaching on Mary was entirely in the spirit of “To renew all things in Christ”. On 2 February 1904, he published the jubilee encyclical “Ad diem illum” on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogmatic truth of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. He called Mary the Mother of God and Mother of humanity, the restorer of lost humanity, the mediator of salvation and the giver of all the treasures of grace. Mary helps us to come to a life-giving knowledge of Christ: “Through Mary to Christ”. Mary is the safest refuge of all those who are in danger and their most faithful helper. “Spiritually we are Mary’s children and she is the mother of us all.” Pius X showed the importance of Mary’s Immaculate Conception for Christian and ecclesial life. Mary distributes all the gifts that Christ has won for us through his death and blood. Mary restored lost humanity through the union of suffering and will with Christ. She is the Queen of Heaven and sits at the right hand of God.

In 1907, he instituted the feast of the apparition of the Immaculate Virgin Mary at Lourdes. In his 1907 encyclical “Pascendi”, he took a position on the apparitions at Lourdes and La Salette, declaring that they could be received with human faith. In 1913, he set the commemoration of the Sorrowful Mother of God on 15 September. Pius X is one of the greatest reformist popes in history; he was beatified in 1951 and canonised a saint in 1954.

Pius XI.

Pius XI (Achille Ratti), Pope from 6.2.1922 to 10.2.1939, b. 31.5.1857 in Desio near Monza. Ordained priest in 1879, became professor at the seminary in Milan in 1882, librarian in 1888 and prefect of the Ambrosian Library in 1907, proprefect of the Vatican Library in 1912, succeeded Cardinal F. Ehrle as prefect in 1914, Apostolic Visitator to Poland in 1918, nuncio there in 1919, and appointed Archbishop and Cardinal of Milan by Pope Benedict XV in 1921. After his election as Pope, in the encyclical “Ubi arcano” of 23.12.1922, he proclaimed as his programme for government: “Pax Christi in regno Christi” (Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ). Pius XI sought good relations with various countries. These efforts were visibly reflected in a number of concordats. He solved the “Roman question” by concluding the Lateran Accords. Within the Church, he carefully supported Catholic Action. He responded to current issues in several important circular letters.

Pius cultivated a healthy veneration of Mary and gave new initiatives to the piety to Mary of his time. He addressed Mariological issues in various circular letters. As early as 22 March 1922, he proclaimed the “Assumpted Virgin Mary” as the patroness of France. In the Holy Year 1925, he addressed Mariological questions on several occasions. On 25.12.1931, on the occasion of the 1500th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus, he published the jubilee encyclical “Lux veritatis”. In it, he invited the Orthodox, among other things, to “join with us in veneration of the Mother of God of one heart and one faith” (AAS 23 [1931] 516). Under his papacy, the feast of the Mother of Mary was instituted in 1931. In various encyclical letters he recommended the prayer of the Rosary.

During his reign, Marian apparitions occured in Beauraing (1932/33) and Banneux (1933). On 26 September 1937, in the encyclical “Ingravescentibus malis”, with a clear reference to National Socialism and Communism, he called for the prayer of the Rosary in the face of the threatening situation in the world. He described this prayer as a refuge of the Church, a powerful weapon and a work of peacemaking. He referred to the words of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux that we have everything through Mary.  Pius was in favour of the Fatima apparitions. He gave his blessing to the Fatima pilgrims on several occasions and in 1938 he authorised the Secretary of State, Eugenio Pacelli, to bless the mosaic of the Coronation of Our Lady of Fatima.

Pius XI died just before the outbreak of the Second World War and is one of the greatest Popes of our time.

Pius XII.

Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli), Pope from 2.3.1939 to 9.10.1958, b. 2.3.1876 in Rome, priest 1899, from 1904 close coworker of Cardinal Gasparri, in the years 1909-14 professor of ecclesiastical diplomacy. He was ordained a bishop in 1917 and served as Apostolic Nuncio in Munich; in 1920 he became Nuncio to the German Reich. In 1929 he was appointed Cardinal by Pius XI and Secretary of State in 1930. He played a decisive role in the concordat negotiations with Baden (1932), Austria (1933) and the German Reich (1933). He proved to be a determined opponent of National Socialism. After his election as Pope, he worked hard to preserve peace. During the Second World War, he put forward principles for a just peace in four Christmas messages. Pius XII was classically educated and had extensive historical knowledge. The reputation of the papacy grew throughout the world during his reign.

In Mariology, he continued the line of his predecessors. His deep piety was distinctly Marian. Already as a student, he became a member of the Marian Congregation. He celebrated his new Mass in the Basilica of St Mary Major before the icon of “Mary – the salvation of the Roman people”. His episcopal ordination in Rome coincided with the first apparition of Mary at Fatima (13.5.1917). For this reason, he had a particularly deep connection with Fatima. On his trip to Munich in 1917, he visited the Marian shrine of Einsiedeln. From Munich he made several pilgrimages to Altötting. At his coronation as Pope in 1939, he declared: “Full of trust in the protection of the Mother of the Good Consoul, we place our hand on the rudder of Peter’s ship”. In 1942, he consecrated humanity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (AAS 34 [1942] 1345f.).

In his 1943 encyclical letter “Mystici Corporis”, he recalled the relationship between Mary and the Church. Mary gave herself to the Father under the cross of Christ as the new Eve for all the children of Adam. In this way she became the mother of all. In 1944, the Pope instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On 15 April 1945, in his encyclical “Communium Interpretes”, he called for a May devotion for peace.  On 1.5.1946, he sent to the bishops the circular letter “Deiparae Virginis Mariae” and wanted to know whether they agreed with the definition of the doctrine of the bodily assumption of the Virgin Mary. The result of the enquiry was positive. Of the 1191 bishops asked, 1169 agreed. On 1.11.1950 the dogmatic truth was proclaimed that the immaculate and virgin Mother of God was assumed with body and soul into heavenly glory. In the Bull “Munificentissimus Deus”, the Pope pointed to the unanimity of the whole Church, tradition, doctrine and liturgy on Mary’s unique holiness and stressed the importance and blessedness of the proclaimed dogmatic truth for humanity. The truth of Mary’s Assumption points to the sublime goal to which we are called and strengthens faith in eternal life. The definition has been received with great joy in the Catholic world, and pilgrimages to Marian shrines have increased.

Other documents of the Pope should be mentioned. In his encyclical “Auspica quaedam” of 1 May 1948, he called on Catholics to consecrate themselves to Mary. The Apostolic Constitution “Bis saeculari” of 27.9.1948 deals with Marian congregations. In the encyclical “Ingruentium malorum” of 15.9.1951, the Pope called for the prayer of the Rosary because of the difficult situation of the time. On 7.7.1952 he addressed the encyclical “Sacro vergente Anno” to all the peoples of Russia and consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (AAS 44 [1952] 505ff.).

On 8 October 1953, the Pope, in his encyclical “Fulgens corona”, invited the celebration of the Year of Mary on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the dogmatic truth of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. The highlight of that year was the introduction of the feast of Mary the Queen, to be celebrated on 31 May. In his encyclical “Ad caeli reginam” of 11.10.1954, he based this title on the testimonies of tradition and expressed the hope that the new feast would strengthen faith and peace. Another highlight of the celebration was the coronation of the icon of Mary in St. Mary Major. In 1958, the Pope celebrated the apparition of Mary in Lourdes. Pius XII went down in Church history as the Marian Pope.

John XXIII.

 John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli), Pope from 28.10.1958 to 3.6.1963, b. 1925 Archbishop and Apostolic Visitor in Bulgaria, 1931 Apostolic Delegate in Bulgaria, 1934 in Turkey and Greece, 1944 Nuncio in Paris, 1953 Cardinal and Archbishop in Venice. After the death of Pius XII, he was elected Pope. On 18.2.1959, at the conclusion of the centenary of Lourdes, he stressed the importance of the apparitions of Mary. As Pope, he visited many Marian pilgrimage sites, extolling Mary’s virtues in his homilies and especially stressing her mediation. The special text on the Virgin Mother of God was rejected by the Vatican Council on 8.12.1962, but it was decided to include the doctrine of Mary in the Constitution on the Church.

Paul VI.

Paul VI (Giovanni Baattista Montini), Pope from 21.6.1963 to 6.8.1978, b. 26.9.1897 in Consesio near Brescia, 1920 priest. From 1926 he was substitute under Cardinal Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli. In 1952 he became Pro-Secretary of State, in 1954 Archbishop of Milan and in 1958 Cardinal. After his election as Pope, he continued the Second Vatican Council and opened the second period of the Council on 29.9.1963, which lasted until 4.12.1963. The third period of the Council began on 14.9.1964 and ended on 21.11.1964. At the Council, the statements on “Mary in the mystery of the Church” provoked discussion. Some Council Fathers opposed the inclusion of the chapter in the draft constitution on the Church, others considered it too restrictive. At the last session, a draft constitution was adopted which said: The Mother of the Lord, because of her unique place in salvific history, also has a unique relationship to the Church. At the end of the Council, the Pope proclaimed: “We proclaim Mary the Mother of the Church”. He had already advocated this declaration as a cardinal in the conciliar deliberations.

Already in his inaugural encyclical letter “Ecclesiam suam” on 6 August 1964, the Pope glorified Mary as the most holy, most humble and immaculate. In his 1965 encyclical “Mense Majo”, he called Mary the Queen of Heaven and asked for her special protection for peace in the world. God has made Mary the generous dispenser of the gifts of His mercy. In the 1966 encyclical “Christi Matri Rosarii”, he recommended the prayer of the Rosary in the face of the war in Asia and people’s fear of atomic weapons. In the exhortation “Signum Magnum” of 13 May 1967, he explained that Mary’s motherhood, through her participation in the Cross, had attained significance for all mankind and announced the renewal of consecration to Mary. On the same day, he made a pilgrimage to Fatima.

Of particular importance for Mariology is the Apostolic Exhortation “Marialis Cultus” of 2 February 1974 for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. We call Mary as the Mother of Grace. Since Mary has a place in salvation, she also has a place in Christian devotion. The Pope encouraged the praying of the “Angel of the Lord” and the Rosary. He called this prayer an outline of the whole Gospel.

The Apostolich Constituion »Missale Romanum« (of 3 April 1969) of Paul VI with the new hymns to Mary is also important. The Pope thus shows himself to be a convinced and invigorating worshipper of Mary. When he died on 6 August 1978, he was acknowledged as a Pope of peace who had led the Church very prudently at a crucial time. During his fifteen-year pontificate, he had enhanced the reputation of the Petrine ministry.

John Paul I.

John Paul I (Albino Luciani), Pope from 26 August to 28 September 1978, b. 17.10.1912 in Forno di Canale, priest 7.7.1935. After two years of pastoral ministry, he became assistant professor and sub-regens of the theological seminary in Bellun in 1937, was appointed bishop of Vittorio Veneto by John XXIII in 1958, was called archbishop and patriarch of Venice by Paul VI in 1969, and became cardinal in 1973. As Pope, he wanted to unite the aspirations of John XXIII and Paul VI. He identified evangelisation as the Church’s main task and at the same time offered the Church’s support in solving the world’s pressing problems: détente, disarmament, peace and justice. He placed his papacy under the protection of Mary. He was a fervent devotee of Mary. As early as 27.8.1978 he said: “Mary, the Blessed Queen of the Apostles, will be the shining star of our papacy”. In his homily on the occasion of his taking possession of the ministry of the Supreme Pastor on 3.9.1978, he called Mary “Salus populi romani” and “Mother of the Church”. Literally, he said, “May the Virgin Mary, who has accompanied our life as a child, a theologian, a priest and a bishop with tender kindness, continue to enlighten and guide our steps”. John Paul I died after only 33 days as Pope. His kindness and simplicity won him the affection of the faithful throughout the world.

John Paul II.

John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła), Pope from 16.10.1978 to 2.4.2005, b. 18.5.1920 in Wadowice, 1946 priest, 1953 habilitation in Kraków, 1958 Auxiliary Bishop of Kraków, 1963 Archbishop, 1967 Cardinal. He accepted his election as Pope in trust in Mary. Already at the time of his episcopal appointment, Wojtyła placed the distinctive letter “M” as the initial of the word “Mary” under the cross in his episcopal coat of arms – and chose “Totus Tuus” as the saying in his coat of arms. The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary’s role in the process of our configuration to Christ: “Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, 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” (in: Rosarium Virginis Mariae, nr. 15).

His Marian devotion is already reflected in his inaugural encyclical “Redemptor hominis”. The Pope closely linked two themes: the Church as Mother and the Mother of the Church. At the same time, he expanded them historico-theologically and pneumatologically: “Above all, I implore Mary, the heavenly Mother of the Church, to be so good as to devote herself to this prayer of humanity’s new Advent, together with us who make up the Church, that is to say the Mystical Body of her Only Son. I hope that through this prayer we shall be able to receive the Holy Spirit coming upon us and thus become Christ’s witnesses ‘to the end of the earth’« (n. 22). Mariology, according to the Pope, brings together all the great themes of religion. No encyclical concludes without looking to the Mother of the Lord.

After an attempt on his life on 13 May 1981 (on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima), John Paul II said that he had been saved by “the mother’s hand”. In gratitude, he made a pilgrimage to Fatima the following year and had the bullet placed in Mary’s crown.

In 1987, he published the Marian encyclical “Redemptoris mater. On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Pilgrim Church”. In this quite personal and original document on Mary, the Pope’s prayer is united in a special way with his anthropology and ecclesiology. Mary herself is the perfect praying woman: she gives her consent at the Incarnation, she is the intercessor at Cana, who is granted by her own will – “Whatever he says to you, do it” -, she is placed in the Church together with John, her Son, and becomes part of her communal prayer; she is, with her whole being, an example of confidential prayer in faith (as the Pope shows emphatically). Mary thus becomes the prefigurement and the heart of the Church. In Revelation, as the mother of the Messiah (chap. 12), she becomes his definitive bride (chap. 19). The feminine role of the People of God, begun in the Old Testament, is finally presented in the New Testament. She thus becomes the true answer to the feminist reading of the Bible, and moreover, the guide for reading it. – In preparation for the great Jubilee of the Holy Year 2000, he proclaimed the Year of Mary 1987.

A particularly far-reaching letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, which added a fourth, luminous part to the Rosary with five mysteries of light: 1. the baptism in the Jordan, 2. the first miracle at the wedding of Cana, 3. the proclamation of the kingdom of God and the call to conversion, 4. the revelation of glory on the Mount, and 5. the institution of the Holy Eucharist.

John Paul II described his personal relation towards this venerable prayer saying, “From my childhood and youth, this prayer has occupied a decisive place in my spiritual life…. The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and trial. I have put many cares into this prayer and have always received refreshment and consolation in it. Twenty-four years ago, on 29 October 1978, exactly two weeks after my election to the See of Peter, I opened my heart, so to speak, and said: ‘The Rosary is my favourite prayer. It is a beautiful prayer, beautiful in its simplicity and depth….  At the same time, our heart can include in the sequence of the mystery of the Rosary all the events that make up the life of an individual, a family, a nation, the Church and humanity; the personal experiences and the experiences of our neighbour, especially those people who are closest to us, who are dear to us. Thus, in the simple prayer of the Rosary, the rhythm of human life pulsates'”. From October 2002 to October 2003, he proclaimed a Year of the Rosary.

Hans Urs von Balthasar says that the spirituality of Pope John Paul II would not be truly understood if we did not take into account his relationship with the Mother of the Lord. This devotion is certainly not something peculiarly Polish, if we only look at the whole tradition of the Catholic Church… The centre is, of course, where the revelation of the triune God in the incarnate Son opens. The proof of this is the mighty trilogy of the circular letters on the Son, the Father and the Holy Spirit. How urgently it was necessary to recall this fundamental mystery to the memory of the faithful, since it has been set aside as an incomprehensible truth for many! Yet it should be most familiar to everyone: God is love, as John says. And it cannot be other than that God is Triune and wants to draw us into his eternal life of love through the incarnation, the cross, the Eucharist and the gift of the Spirit.

What determines all the Pope’s actions? It is the spiritual depth of his personality. It is from it alone that all the blessing that accompanies his tireless activity and creativity, incomprehensible to human judgment, flows. An incomprehensible strength spurs him on to overcome even the greatest fatigue every time. This mysterious power has a very simple name: prayer! No one has access to the secret conversation between God and him, but anyone who has been fortunate enough to celebrate Holy Mass with him or to attend some other devotion – say, the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday – must have felt something of this creative power. His innumerable sermons, homilies, addresses, even if they deal with human questions of ethics, sociology, human rights, peace or science, are imbued with it. They flow so much from direct contemplation in their choice of themes and in their expression that one feels the Pope’s beating heart touching one directly in the heart. This has been true since the first encyclical, Redemptor hominis, which does not develop an abstract social doctrine but speaks vividly to the concrete consciousness of humanity today. The same is true of all that follow, and we should listen especially to the encyclical on the mercy of God, because the choice of content and the style of speech here seem to be chosen and expressed with unusual force from the deepest centre of prayer.

Benedict XVI.

Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), Pope from 19.4.2025 to 28.2.2013, b. 16.4.1927, died 31.12.2022. Priest 1951, professor in 1958, expert at Second Vatican Council, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Cardinal 1977, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1981.

Pope Benedict XVI, brilliant theologian that he is, grounds his Mariology in a deep love of biblical texts. To evidence this see his works as: Pope Benedict XVI, Daughter Zion: Meditations on the Church’s Marian Belief  (1983); Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, Vol. 3 (2012); Images of Hope: Meditations on Major Feasts (2006) and his numerous other texts, documents and homilies. The Catechism of the Catholic Church – »a Symphony of the Faith«, composed under the presidency of Cardinal J. Ratzinger, presents what the Church believs, celebrates, lieves and prays.

Pope Benedict XVI, “Mary, Mother of God,” General Audience of 2 January 2008, summerizes his Mariology:  The solemn Feast of Mary, Mother of God, is liturgicaly celebrated the first day of the year. “Mother of God”, Theotokos, is the title that was officially attributed to Mary in the fifth century, to be exact, at the Council of Ephesus in 431, but which had already taken root in the devotion of the Christian people since the third century, in the context of the heated discussions on the Person of Christ in that period. This title highlights the fact that Christ is God and truly was born of Mary as a man: in this way his unity as true God and true man is preserved. Actually, however much the debate might seem to focus on Mary, it essentially concerned the Son. Desiring to safeguard the full humanity of Jesus, several Fathers suggested a weaker term: instead of the title Theotokos, they suggested Christotokos, “Mother of Christ”; however, this was rightly seen as a threat to the doctrine of the full unity of Christ’s divinity with his humanity. On the one hand, therefore, after lengthy discussion at the Council of Ephesus in 431, as I said, the unity of the two natures – the divine and the human (cf. DS, n. 250) – in the Person of the Son of God was solemnly confirmed and, on the other, the legitimacy of the attribution of the title Theotokos, Mother of God, to the Virgin (ibid., n. 251).

After this Council a true explosion of Marian devotion was recorded and many churches dedicated to the Mother of God were built. Outstanding among these is the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The teaching on Mary, Mother of God, received further confirmation at the Council of Chalcedon (451), at which Christ was declared “true God and true man… born for us and for our salvation of Mary, Virgin and Mother of God, in his humanity” (DS, n. 301). As is well known, the Second Vatican Council gathered the teachings on Mary in the eighth chapter of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, reaffirming her divine motherhood. The chapter is entitled “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church”.

Thus, the description “Mother of God”, so deeply bound up with the Christmas festivities, is therefore the fundamental name with which the Community of Believers has always honoured the Blessed Virgin. It clearly explains Mary’s mission in salvation history. All other titles attributed to Our Lady are based on her vocation to be the Mother of the Redeemer, the human creature chosen by God to bring about the plan of salvation, centred on the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Divine Word. In these days of festivity we have paused to contemplate the depiction of the Nativity in the crib. At the centre of this scene we find the Virgin Mother, who offers the Baby Jesus for the contemplation of all those who come to adore the Saviour: the shepherds, the poor people of Bethlehem, the Magi from the East. Later, on the Feast of the “Presentation” which we celebrate on 2 February, it will be the elderly Simeon and the prophetess Anna who receive the tiny Infant from the hands of his Mother and worship him. The devotion of the Christian people has always considered the Birth of Jesus and the divine motherhood of Mary as two aspects of the same mystery of the Incarnation of the Divine Word, so it has never thought of the Nativity as a thing of the past. We are “contemporaries” of the shepherds, the Magi, of Simeon and of Anna, and as we go with them we are filled with joy, because God wanted to be the God-with-us and has a mother who is our mother.

All the other titles with which the Church honours Our Lady then derive from the title “Mother of God”, but this one is fundamental. Let us think of the privilege of the “Immaculate Conception”, that is, of Mary being immune to sin from conception: she was preserved from any stain of sin because she was to be the Mother of the Redeemer. The same applies to the title “Our Lady of the Assumption”: the One who had brought forth the Saviour could not be subject to the corruption that derives from original sin. And we know that all these privileges were not granted in order to distance Mary from us but, on the contrary, to bring her close; indeed, since she was totally with God, this woman is very close to us and helps us as a mother and a sister. The unique and unrepeatable position that Mary occupies in the Community of Believers also stems from her fundamental vocation to being Mother of the Redeemer. Precisely as such, Mary is also Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. Rightly, therefore, on 21 November 1964 during the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI solemnly attributed to Mary the title “Mother of the Church”.

It is because she is Mother of the Church that the Virgin is also the Mother of each one of us, members of the Mystical Body of Christ. From the Cross, Jesus entrusted his Mother to all his disciples and at the same time entrusted all his disciples to the love of his Mother. The Evangelist John concludes the brief and evocative account with these words: “Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!’. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (Jn 19: 27). This is the translation of the Greek text “εiς tά íδια”, he welcomed her into his own reality, his own existence. Thus, she is part of his life and the two lives penetrate each other. And this acceptance of her (εiς tά íδια) in his own life is the Lord’s testament. Therefore, at the supreme moment of the fulfilment of his messianic mission, Jesus bequeathes as a precious inheritance to each one of his disciples his own Mother, the Virgin Mary.

Pope Benedict XVI concluded his first Encyclical Letter Deus caritas est as follows:   »Men and women of every time and place have recourse to her motherly kindness and her virginal purity and grace, in all their needs and aspirations, their joys and sorrows, their moments of loneliness and their common endeavours. They constantly experience the gift of her goodness and the unfailing love which she pours out from the depths of her heart.… Mary, Virgin and Mother, shows us what love is and whence it draws its origin and its constantly renewed power. To her we entrust the Church and her mission in the service of love:

Holy Mary, Mother of God, you have given the world its true light, Jesus, your Son – the Son of God. You abandoned yourself completely to God’s call and thus became a wellspring of the goodness which flows forth from him. Show us Jesus. Lead us to him. Teach us to know and love him, so that we too can become capable of true love and be fountains of living water in the midst of a thirsting world.«

Francis

Francis (Jorge Maria Bergoglio), b. 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, elected Pope 13 March 2013. He joined the Jesuits in 1958, ordained priest in 1969, from 1973 to 1979 was the Jesuit provicial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires 1998 and was created cardinal 2001 by Pope John Paul II. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. on 28 February 2013, Bergoglio was elected Pope on 13 March. He died on April 21, 2025.

Papal documents: On 29 June 2013, Francis published the encyclical Lumen fidei, which was largely the work of Benedict XVI. On 24 November 2013, Francis published his first major letter as pope, the apostolic exhortation »Evangelii gaudium«, which he described as the programmatic of his papacy. On 18 June 2015, he published his first own, original encyclical »Laudato si‘«, concerning care for the planet. On 8 April 2016, Francis published his second apostolic exhortation »Amoris laetitia«, remarking on love within the family. On 8 December 2017, Francis signed a new apostolic constitution on ecclesiastical universities and faculties »Veritatis gaudium«, published 29 January 2018. A further Apostolic Exhortation, »Gaudete et exultate« (Rejoice and be glad), was published on 19 March 2018, dealing with “the call to holiness in today’s world” for all persons. On 4 October 2020, on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Francis published the encyclical »Fratelli tutti« on fraternity and social friendship, using St. Francis’s own words to describe our universal brotherhood and sisterhood. 2024 encyclical letter »Dilexit nos« on the veneration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On 8 December 2020, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis published the apostolic letter »Patris corde«. To mark the occasion, the Pope proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from 8 December 2020, to 8 December 2021 on the 150th Anniversary of the Proclamation of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. Pope Francis proclaimed the Holy Year 2025 under the motto »The Pilgrims of the Hope«.

Blessed Virgin Mary has always been the subject of Pope Francis’ thought throughout his pontificate. He implores the protection and blessing of Mary in the Basilica St. Mary Maior in Rome, where venerating the icon »Maria – salus populi Romani« he kneels before and after every apostolic journey.

In Pope Francis’ mariology there is an interesting nexus or connection, between Christ and the Church. Mary is the most concrete expression of this relationship. In his mariological reflections, Pope Francis presents Mary as an example from whom we can draw the courage we need in our lives. What a great grace for us is her maternal loving protection and also her reminding us of the Spirit who lives in us and guides us.

An important aspect in Pope Francis’s mariology, which is so close to his heart, is the title he adopts from the Church’s tradition and ascribes it to Mary as “the Mother of Mercy”. For Pope Francis, as he wrote in Misericordiae Vultus, the Bull announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy of 11 April 2015: the sweetness of [Mary’s] countenance” helps us “rediscover the joy of God’s tenderness” (no. 24). This is because, as Misericordiae Vultus says, her entire life was patterned after the presence of mercy made flesh. The Mother of the Crucified and Risen One has entered the sanctuary of divine mercy because she participated intimately in the mystery of His love” . Within the same number of the Bull the Pope says that Mary treasured divine mercy in her heart in perfect harmony with her Son Jesus. Her hymn of praise, sung at the threshold of the home of Elizabeth, was dedicated to the mercy of God which extends from “generation to generation” (Lk 1:50). At the foot of the Cross, from which Jesus forgives those who crucified him, Mary emerges as a powerful witness of this saving forgiveness. She, as Misercordiae Vultus states, attests that the mercy of the Son of God knows no bounds and extends to everyone, without exception. No wonder than that the Christian tradition, thanks to the Salve Regina, calls her Mother of Mercy. Finally, as the Bull says, Mary never tire[s] of turning her merciful eyes upon us, and make us worthy to contemplate the face of mercy, her Son Jesus. »Mary, our merciful, tender and wise Mother, teach us and pray for us to love Jesus, His Church and every person who encounters us on our way to the Heavenly Jerusalem, till the end. Mother of the living Gospel, wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, pray for us. Amen.«

Leo XIV.

Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost), born September 14, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He became a friar of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained as a priest in 1982. His service includes extensive missionary work in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s, where he served as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher, and administrator. He lived in Rome from 2001 to 2013 when elected prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine. He returned to Peru as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, appointed him president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and made him cardinal.

Prevost was elected pope on May 8, 2025. He adopted his papal name Leo XIV. His inauguration Mass was held on May 18 in St. Peter’s Square.

The coat of arms of the Holy Father Leo XIV. On the left field of the coat of arms of the Holy Father Leo XIV, the blue background recalls the heights of the heavens and is characterized by its Marian significance, a classic symbol referring to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the lily or fleur-de-lis (flos florum).

In the other field, white in colour, there is the emblem of the Augustinian Order, a flaming heart pieced by an arrow. This image symbolically represents the words of Saint Augustine in the book of Confessions: “Sagittaveras tu cor meum charitate tua” (“You have wounded my heart with your love”). It is an element that has always been present in the emblem of the Augustinians from the sixteenth century onwards, albeit with several variations, such as the presence of the book symbolizing the Word of God capable of transforming the heart of every man, as it was for Augustine. The book also recalls the enlightened works that the Doctor of Grace gave to the Church and humanity. White is a recurrent colour in other coats of arms of religious orders, and can be read as a symbol of holiness and purity.

Our new Pope has a Marian heart. After he was introduced as the new Holy Father and before giving his first blessing urbi et orbi from the Loggia of Blessings of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV greeted the faithful and concluded with these words, “Our Mother Mary always wants to walk at our side, to remain close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love. So I would like to pray together with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world, and let us ask Mary, our Mother, for this special grace.” Then he led everyone in praying the Hail Mary.

After his election, at his first Regina Caeli on Sunday, May 11, Leo XIV ended his remarks by again referring to our Blessed Mother, seeking her intercession: “May the Virgin Mary, whose entire life was a response to the Lord’s call, always accompany us in following Jesus.” He then concluded by not reciting, but beautifully singing, the Regina Caeli.

Pope Leo XIV visits the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, just outside Rome, on May 10. The shrine has been run by the Augustinians since 1200.

In the Basilica of St. Mary Major, on May 25, Pope Leo XIV venerates the icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani and urges Christians to grow in our devotion to Mary: »Let us renew our devotion to Mary!«

Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Turkey on the occasion of a great jubilee: 1.700 anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, Σύνοδος τῆς Νίκαιας. This could be a very important happening.