Question Corner: Is it a sin if someone calls Mary ‘co-redemptrix?’

Q: Is it a sin if someone calls Mary “co-redemptrix?” Should I stop following them on social media? (Louisiana)

A: I’m assuming your question is in response to the recent document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Vatican “department” that deals with major theological questions pertaining to what we believe as Catholics) titled “Mater Populi Fidelis” — or in English, “Mother of the faithful people of God” — which is a “doctrinal note on some Marian titles regarding Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation.”

The entire document is well worth a read, as it contains some helpful explanations and beautiful reflections on Mary’s role in salvation history. But the main practical takeaway from “Mater Populi Fidelis” is that, to avoid misunderstandings that could potentially veer into heresy, we should be extremely careful about referring to Our Lady as “Mediatrix” or mediator of God’s grace; and that “given the necessity of explaining Mary’s subordinate role to Christ in the work of redemption, it is always inappropriate to use the title ‘Co-redemptrix’ to define Mary’s cooperation” since “this title risks obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation and can therefore create confusion and an imbalance in the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith.”

Or in other words, while the title “co-redemptrix” has been used in the past by saints and even some popes, they did not elaborate “much on its meaning.” Calling Mary “co-redemptrix” could in theory have a perfectly orthodox interpretation such as, e.g., a reference to her as the mother who bore Christ the Redeemer into the world. However, after years of careful discernment, the church’s doctrinal authorities came to the conclusion that this title is apt for misunderstanding and thus should not be used.

Whether or not it is actually a sin to call Mary “co-redemptrix” is a nuanced question that would need to take several factors into account. For an act to be a sin, it needs to be something that is objectively wrong, which the one committing it knows is wrong and which is chosen with at least some degree of freedom.

Clearly, past Catholics who used the title before the publication of “Mater Populi Fidelis” on Nov. 4, 2025 were not sinning, since the question of calling Mary “co-redemptrix” was still an open one. And even now, this document does not seem to prohibit referencing this title in a purely academic context, such as if a degreed theologian wished to explore this theme in a paper intended for their professional peers.

Yet at the same time, Canon 752 of the Code of Canon Law reminds us that: “a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic magisterium [i.e., their teaching authority], declare upon a matter of faith or morals […] Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.”

So a Catholic who stubbornly refused to accept the church’s teaching in “Mater Populi Fidelis” and continued to refer to Mary as “co-redemptrix” out of a willful disregard for the pope’s authority likely would be sinning. Still, we generally cannot know what goes on in another person’s heart as an outside observer. Defiantly promoting the “co-redemptrix” Marian title might be objectively a problem — and it’s not something we should do ourselves — but we can reserve judgment as to whether or to what degree another person might be sinning if they do this.

With respect to the question of whether or not to follow people who still use the “co-redemptrix” title on social media, here again I think a lot depends on the context. The church does not ask us to un-follow friends or family members who post things contrary to church teaching. But as a prudential judgment, it can be reasonable to avoid consuming media that directly contradicts church teaching.

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