Mary's Pope: John Paul II, Mary, and the Church since Vatican II

THE PARTICIPATION OF MARY in Christ's work of Redemption has always been an object of discussion within Catholic circles as well as in other Christian churches. The topic has drawn the attention of many theologians throughout the history of the Church and caused many to reflect on its relationship to the absolute primacy of Christ who is the unique mediator between God and man. ¹ While all Catholics agree that Christ, as God-man, was the sufficient cause of our Redemption, the question of Mary's mediation concerns the manner in which Christ associated His Mother with Himself in the action of Redemption.

This mediation was widely discussed in theological circles especially before and after the Second Vatican Council ( 1962-1965). ² In the opinion of the theologian S. M. Perrella, it was actually the most debated theological theme present at the vigil of the Council. ³ In the preparatory stages of the Council, Episcopal presenters introduced many different concepts to describe Mary's presence and cooperation with Christ's Redemption: cooperatio (cooperation), corredemptio/conredemptio (coredemption/con-redemption), corredempoix (coredemptnix), munus (function), nova Eva (New Eve), officium (office), positio structuralis (position of structure), redemptrix (redeemer), socia Christi (associate of Christ). Such terms indicate the relationships among mediation and coredemption, the role of Mary in the Church, the universal motherhood, queenship, Immaculate Conception, and bodily assumption. Instead

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