A second Vatican official has confirmed that the Co-redemptrix title for Mary, Mother of God, is acceptable in popular devotion, confirming recent remarks of the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).
Msgr. Maurizio Gronchi, an expert consultant at the DDF, clarified that the measure established last month regarding the use of the title “Co-Redemptrix” for Our Lady is “not an absolute prohibition” and that it can still be used in popular piety, provided its meaning is understood.
He said the title “will no longer be used in official documents or in the liturgy,” but added that “if used in popular devotion, understanding its meaning, no one will be reprimanded for it.” He made the comments in Dec. 28 interview with EWTN Noticias, the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.
Msgr. Gronchi’s comments follow those of Cardinal Fernandez who told the journalist Diane Montagna Nov. 27 that the Nov. 4 DDF document Mater Populi Fidelis, which sparked debate over its statement that the Marian title Co-redemptrix is “always inappropriate,” was not a sweeping rejection of the title itself.
The DDF prefect said the word “always” applies only to official Church usage from that point forward, not to every context in which the title might be used, and that the faithful who understand the traditional, properly subordinate meaning of the term are not being asked to abandon it in private devotion or informed discussion.
In the following video, respected Mariologist Dr. Mark Miravalle welcomes this further clarification from Msgr. Gronchi (with some caveats), but also responds to the official’s other document-related remarks which he finds troubling. He calls for a formal correction and clarification and urges the faithful to petition Pope Leo XIV for the same.
Why not just get rid of the “always inappropriate” prelate instead?
To say that an ancient title of the Blessed Virgin Mary “can still be used in popular piety, provided its meaning is understood” but that the title “will no longer be used in official documents or in the liturgy,” is irrational and not the statement of a serious man.