#13 The Facts on Roman Catholicism
 

    Significant areas of Catholic doctrine and practice are related to the person and work of Mary. Her unique relationship to God is usually discussed in a trinity of functions:
 

(1) Co-redemptrix,
(2) Mediatrix, and
(3) Queen of Heaven.
 

    As Co-redemptrix, she cooperates with Christ in the work of saving sinners. As Mediatrix, she dispenses God's blessings and grace to the spiritually needy. As Queen of Heaven, she rules providentially with Christ, the King of Heaven. Although views in the Roman Church vary, Mary has usually been elevated above all the prophets, apostles, saints, popes, and even the Catholic Church itself. In the words of Pope Paul VI, "...The place she occupies in the Church [is] 'the highest place and the closest to us after Jesus.= A
    With the honored blessing given by Vatican II, Mariology is as firmly entrenched in Catholicism as ever. Vatican II declares: "It admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered.@ But the Catholic view of Mary is not scriptural; to the contrary, it is entirely traditional. Some of the unbiblical teachings relating to the Mary of Catholic Tradition include the following:
 

1. Mary's immaculate conception:
    She was born without original sin and was, therefore, sinless throughout her life.
 

2. Mary's perpetual virginity:
    She had no children after Jesus.
 

3. Mary's bodily assumption or physical ascension into heaven:
    Because of her sinlessness, Mary never experienced physical death. She was raised bodily into the presence of Christ.
 

4. Mary's as Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix of all graces:
    The obedience and sufferings of Mary were essential to secure the full redemption bought by Christ.
 

5. Mary's right to veneration and/or worship:
    Because of her unparalleled role in the economy of salvation, Mary is worthy of special adoration.
 

    Space permits discussion of only last two points.
 

Is Mary a "Savior@ ?
 

    Mariology is defined as the study of that theology "which treats the life, role and virtues of the Blessed Mother of God@ and which "demonstrates...her position as Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix of all grace. Thus, Catholic popes have always glorified Mary.
    Pope Leo XII stated in his rosary encyclical, "Octobri mense@ (1891); "Nobody can approach Christ except through the mother.@ Pope Pius X (1903-1014) asserted that Mary is "the dispenser of all gifts which Jesus has acquired for us by His death and His blood.@ Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) says, "With Jesus, Mary has redeemed the human race.@ The conclusion of Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) in his encyclical, "Mystici Corporis@ (1943), was that Mary willingly offered Christ on Golgotha: "Who, free from all sin, original or personal, and always most intimately united with her Son, offered him on Golgotha to the eternal Father...for all the children of Adam.@
    All this is why Vatican II declared that, "Taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving role, but by her manifold acts intercession continued to win for us gifts of eternal salvation.@ And in The Catholic Response, Stravinskas remarks that, "One cannot ignore this woman, lest one risk distorting the gospel itself.@
    Although Mary did not literally die for the sin of the world, by giving birth to the Messiah and by giving Him moral support and other things, Mary can be seen as indirectly helping to atone for the sins of the world. Thus, of her temporal earthly sufferings, The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches that she "endured them for our salvation.@ Further, "in the power of the grace of Redemption merited by Christ, Mary, by her spiritual entering into the sacrifice of her Divine Son for men, made atonement for the sins of men and (de congruon) merited the application of the redemptive grace of Christ. In this manner she cooperates in the subjective redemption of mankind.@
 

Is Mary Worshiped?
 

    Although Catholic theology attempts to draw a line between the worship offered to God and that offered to Mary, in practice these frequently become indistinguishable.
    Rome may deny that Mary is worshiped as God. But to attribute to her powers which involve omniscience and omnipresence, if she is to hear [and answer] the prayers of millions, is to accord to her what belongs to God alone. Furthermore, the prayers themselves are phrased in such a way that it is hard to distinguish them from those offered to God.
    Pope John Paul II (1920- ) chose totus tuus ("I am completely yours, O Mary@ ) as the motto for his papacy. In his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope, the Pope explains:
 

Totus Tuus. This phrase is not only an expression of piety, or simply an expression of devotion. It is more. During the Second World War, while I was employed as a factory worker, I came to be attracted to Marian devotion. At first, it had seemed to me that I should distance myself a bit from the Marian devotion of my childhood, in order to focus more on Christ. Thanks to Saint Louis of Montfort, I came to understand that true devotion to the Mother of God is actually Christocentric, indeed, it is very profoundly rooted in the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption.
    On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was severely wounded by a gunman. Bleeding profusely, the Pope lost consciousness, quickly, but not before crying out, "Mary, my Mother.@ According to author Tad Szulc the Pope believes his life was saved as a "real miracle@ by the Virgin of Fatima. John Paul II went to her shrine on the first anniversary of the attack to thank the Virgin for saving him and to offer to her the bullet that nearly killed him. That day the Pope gave an Act of Consecration to Mary, which included:
 

    Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil...From famine and war, deliver us...From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us. From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us. From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of evil, deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.
 

    Again, the Catholic Church officially claims that its Mariology does not subtract from the worship due Christ as God and Mediator. But as you've seen, this doesn't seem to be true.
 

The Biblical Mary
 

    The Mary of Catholic teaching has little to do with the Mary of the New Testament. Given Mary's supreme importance in the Catholic Church, it's amazing to consider the complete absence of even the mention of her name in the New Testament epistles.
    Apart from Acts 1:14, Mary is mentioned nowhere else outside the Gospels. And even in the Gospels, her spiritual power authority are almost nonexistent. Neither Jesus Christ, not Paul, nor any other biblical writer ever gave Mary the place or devotion the Catholic Church has given her for a thousand years. This is all the more incredible when we consider that the New Testament letters were written specifically for the spiritual guidance of the church, and they have a great deal to say about both doctrine and worship. Even Catholics are forced to confess that scriptural support for these doctrine is lacking.
    The apostle Luke relates an interesting incident in the life of Jesus. In effect, the story tells us that apart from her role as bearer and mother of the Messiah, Mary was not unique or especially blessed: "...One of the women in the crowd raised her voice, and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed.= But he said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it@ (Luke 11:27-28 NASB). Jesus often referred to Himself as "the Son of Man,@ but never once, as Catholics do, as "the Son of Mary.@

John Ankerberg & John Weldon