Several years ago, a Pentecostal coworker of mine asked me, with furrowed brow, about the title “Co-Redemptrix". I rattled off an answer – something like, it’s just a theory that some people talk about, but isn’t really going anywhere. Turns out, I was right, but I don’t think there is any element of Catholic theology that can lead to more confusion. So, let us explore the idea of the Co-Redemptrix.
I have seen this come up on several blogs: people say that they can’t swim the Tiber because of the way Catholics see Mary. Some of the first objections are to the term “Mediatrix of all Graces" They think that Catholics see Mary as an equal to Christ. The confusion is compounded by the term “Co-Redemptrix" that is often mentioned but little understood, thinking that this puts Mary in the position of a second redeemer.
We’re going to deal with the Mediatrix of All Graces first, and then in a separate post I’ll get into the Co-Redemptrix idea.
Let me put this very plainly: Catholics do not believe that Mary is a Mediatrix of All Graces in any way that makes her an equal to Christ. There are some problems of language here. Allow me to explain.
