The Virgin Mary “never shows herself – this is curious – but always Jesus,” said Pope Francis during an audience with representatives of two religious congregations on September 19, 2024. The Pope’s warning against a form of “Mariolatry” coincided with the publication on the same day, by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, of a note on the Marian shrine of Medjugorje that addresses this tendency.
In a speech aimed at setting the course for the general chapters of two missionary congregations, the Sisters of the Divine Savior and the Sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Picpus), the Pope presented the Virgin Mary as our “lodestar” because she “speaks little, listens a lot, and cherishes in her heart.”
Moving away from his text, the Pontiff insisted on another “characteristic feature of Our Lady.” Mary “points to Jesus, always. Never to herself,” he said, giving as an example the phrase spoken at the wedding feast in Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.”
On the other hand, the Pope strongly warned against messages such as, “Look at me, because I am immaculate …” In reality, “Our Lady never says this. She always indicates Jesus,” he insisted.
No “Marian plan”
This statement resonates with several calls for caution from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith concerning Marian supernatural phenomena. The most recent of these is the “Queen of Peace” note on the Marian shrine of Medjugorje, published on the same day as the Pope’s statement, in which the Holy See acknowledges the spiritual value of the Medjugorje shrine, while issuing a number of warnings.
In particular, the text warns against “self-exaltations” that attribute to Our Lady expressions such as “my plan” or “my project.”
“Mary does not have her own plan for the world and the Church,” but rather she “fully assumes God’s plans,” says the text, which also criticizes an “erroneous” use of the word “mediatrix.” The Catholic faith recognizes Christ alone as the Savior and mediator between God and humanity.
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