JORAS - Nigerian Journal of Religion and Society

Aside the patronage and incorporation of the title “Mediatrix of All Graces” in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, many Papal Encyclicals / Apostolic Exhortations, Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents are awash with references to Mary as a “Mediatrix”. These have unremittingly attracted certain disconcerting reactions. Some express shock while others question because they are of the strong belief that the title is Christ's prerogative. These are marks of unease and alarm as the emphasis is interchangeably either on the exclamation or the question, which is not circumscribed to Protestants, but Catholics as well. This could be due to lack of understanding or ill- informed restriction of honour to the person and place of Mary in the entire scope of salvation history. Some of the responses to this knotty doctrinal polemic offer little or no support to the faithful because they are purely parochial theological opinions and mind-sets, which are at odds with the Church's position. Thus, this article explains both what is at stake and what is not at stake gleaned from the Sacred Scripture, Living Tradition and the Magisterium for according to John Henry Newman, “The Catholic Church has its constitution and its theological laws in spite of the excesses of individuals” (Dessain and Gornall, 1875, p. 212).

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