The Vatican’s doctrinal office has declared that the title “Co-Redemptrix” should no longer be used to describe the Virgin Mary, saying the term risks overshadowing the unique redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

In a document released on Tuesday titled Mater Populi Fidelis (“The Mother of the Faithful People of God”), the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) stated that when a theological expression requires constant clarification to preserve its correct meaning, it ceases to be useful.

“The expression ‘co-redemptrix’ does not help extol Mary as the first and foremost collaborator in the work of redemption and grace, for it carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ,” the document said.

The note continued, “Given the need to explain the subordinate role of Mary to Christ in the work of Redemption, it is always inappropriate to use the title Co-Redemptrix… This title risks obscuring the unique salvific mediation of Christ… When an expression requires numerous and continual explanations to prevent it from deviating from its correct meaning, it does not serve the faith of the People of God and becomes inappropriate.”

The document, signed by DDF prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, was approved by Pope Leo XIV on October 7.

The title Co-Redemptrix—from the Latin co- (“with”) and redemptor (“redeemer”)—has long been a point of theological controversy. Supporters within the Catholic Church have argued for its formal recognition as a dogma, while critics, including many theologians, contend that it exaggerates Mary’s role and risks confusing her relationship to Christ.

Protestant and particularly Reformed theologians have consistently rejected the concept, viewing it as a challenge to the sufficiency and exclusivity of Christ’s redemptive work. According to Reformed teaching, salvation is accomplished solus Christus—by Christ alone—without human participation in the act of redemption itself.

To suggest that Mary played any “co-redemptive” role, they argue, introduces another mediator alongside Christ, contradicting Scripture’s affirmation that there is “one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). While Protestants honour Mary as the blessed mother of the incarnate Son, they reject the notion that her consent, suffering, or intercession contributes to the merit of Christ’s atonement.

In response, Catholic theologians have maintained that the term Co-Redemptrix does not imply equality with Christ but rather signifies cooperation. The prefix “co-” (from cum, “with”) denotes participation, not parity. Mary’s role, they say, was one of unique and subordinate cooperation—freely consenting to bear the Saviour (Luke 1:38) and uniting her maternal suffering to His at the cross. Her participation, they argue, remains entirely dependent upon and secondary to Christ’s one, all-sufficient sacrifice.

However, Reformed critics contend that even with these qualifications, the concept blurs the essential distinction between the Redeemer and the redeemed. They maintain that human beings, including Mary (Lk. 1:47), are recipients of salvation, not agents of it. Any suggestion of redemptive cooperation, they argue, detracts from the finality of Christ’s atoning work, which was “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10–14).

With the DDF’s latest clarification, the Vatican appears to have drawn a firm line under the debate, reaffirming that Mary’s role in salvation history is exemplary—but not co-redemptive.