Motu Proprio: Per Mariam ad Cor Iesu
Of Our Most Holy Father, Radislav I, by Divine Providence Supreme Pontiff of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church
On the Singular Cooperation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Work of Redemption
RADISLAV PP. I
Through Mary to the Heart of Jesus, pierced for the salvation of the world, there flows an unfailing river of grace and mercy. Yet by the mysterious will of God, the channel through which that grace first entered the world was the humble consent of the Virgin of Nazareth. In her the divine plan found a dwelling-place; through her obedience, the Word took flesh, and through her fidelity, the disciple learns to draw near to the Sacred Heart of her Son. The Church, pondering these mysteries, has ever discerned in Mary not a rival but the purest reflection of the Redeemer’s love; she who, by her maternal compassion, leads souls ever more deeply to the Heart of Jesus.
From the earliest centuries of the Church, the faithful have honoured the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Theotokos, as the woman through whom the Word became flesh and by whose obedience the new creation was begun. The holy Fathers acclaimed her as the new Eve, for as the first woman freely shared in the fall of mankind, so the Virgin, by grace and faith, freely shared in the plan of salvation. In this sense her fiat constituted a true though subordinate participation; entirely dependent upon, yet inseparably joined to the redemptive work of her Divine Son.
When, in later ages, writers and pastors employed the title Co-Redemptrix, the prefix co- was neither intended to place Mary on a level of equality with Christ the Redeemer nor did it do so in fact. Rather, it signified that she stood with Him, united in compassion and purpose beneath the Cross, sharing in His sufferings as only a Mother might. Every grace flows from the Passion of Christ alone; Mary’s part is wholly derivative, wholly maternal. The venerable title Mediatrix belongs to her in this same subordinate sense, for all her intercession derives from, and leads back to, the one Mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5).
And in proof of its universal doctrinal truth, this same mystery is proclaimed in different terminology, with praises sung to the Theotokos in which she is hailed as the cause of our deification, the bridge leading those on earth to heaven, and the one through whom salvation came to the world. Such words do not exceed the bounds of sound doctrine but rather manifest the profound conviction that her cooperation in the divine economy was both free and real, and that her maternal intercession continues unceasingly within the communion of saints. Thus, in the contemplation of Mary, the whole Apostolic Church throughout the entire world meets upon common ground, acknowledging that the mystery of redemption, while wrought solely by Christ, includes by divine design the loving consent and abiding prayer of His Mother.
To invoke the Blessed Virgin as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces is therefore not to propose a new dogma, but to give name to a truth already contained in the deposit of faith and manifest in the Church’s perennial devotion. Indeed, it is Our sacred duty to serve as guardian of the faith, neither innovating nor redacting. And in that one unchanging faith, we know that redemption is accomplished by Christ alone; yet it was welcomed, served, and borne in her who replied, Be it done unto me according to thy word. In recognizing this, the faithful do not glorify Mary apart from her Son, but rather the infinite mercy of God who wills that His creatures should freely share in His saving work. Where this is misunderstood, the Church must explain and teach; and where this is the subject of protest or criticism, the Church must remain firm, not obfuscate, deny, or modify.
May this truth, contemplated anew, inflame in all the children of the Church a deeper love for the Mother of the Redeemer, and lead them ever closer to the pierced Heart from which flow all graces of salvation.
Therefore, moved by the example of the Saints and guided by the constant teaching of the Church, We affirm that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Theotokos, by divine disposition, cooperated in a unique and singular way in the work of human redemption; never equal to her Son the Redeemer, but wholly united with Him in love and suffering. The titles Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces, when rightly understood, express this same mystery of maternal participation and therefore are universal truths throughout all Christendom; and We commend their proper, prudent, continual, and perpetual use to clergy and laity throughout the world, for such is needed in order to deepen the faithful’s understanding of the Mother of the Church.
Given in Rome-Ruthenia in the House of Sts. Peter, Andrew, Stephen, and Mark, this fifth day of November, in the two thousand twenty-fifth of the Incarnation.
