A Worldwide Appeal on the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Coinciding with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, an international initiative titled “A Filial Appeal to Pope Leo XIV” has been launched, in which faithful from around the world respectfully request that the Holy Father reexamine the document Mater Populi Fidelis, published on November 4, 2025, by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The letter, drafted by the Italian mariologist Fr. Serafino Lanzetta, gathers the dismay provoked in broad sectors of the people of God by the stance adopted by the Doctrinal Note regarding the Marian titles of “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix of All Graces”. Many faithful consider that the document represents a significant setback in the Church’s Mariological teaching.
“We Are Deeply Concerned”: The Appeal Exposes the Core of the Conflict
The text states that the consciences of numerous Catholics are “deeply disturbed” upon reading statements that contradict theological and magisterial tradition. The letter asks how one cannot feel afflicted upon verifying a position that “opposes the teaching transmitted until now”, which has always recognized in Mary a real, unique, and maternal role in the economy of salvation.
The initiative is of a “popular” nature, open to priests and laypeople, who can download the letter, sign it, and send it directly to the Pope at the Apostolic Palace by mail. It is initially disseminated in six languages, with more translations planned.
Theological Criticisms: A Document Considered “Minimalist” on Mary’s Role
Fr. Lanzetta, professor of dogmatic theology and author of numerous Mariological studies, was one of the first to express serious reservations about Mater Populi Fidelis. A week after the document’s presentation in Rome, he published a detailed analysis in which he described the DDF’s stance as a “significant impoverishment” with respect to doctrinal tradition, both from the saints and doctors of the Church and from the ordinary Magisterium of the popes and Vatican Council II itself.
His conclusion was clear: Mater Populi Fidelis adopts a reduced vision of the Virgin’s figure in the work of Redemption.
Reference Mariologists Warn of Methodological and Doctrinal Flaws
The criticism did not come only from Lanzetta. The prestigious mariologist Fr. Salvatore Perrella, OSM, former professor at the Pontifical Marianum Institute and considered an authority by Pope Benedict XVI, stated in an interview with Swiss media that the document reveals “theological and methodological incompetence” on the part of those who drafted it.
To these voices was added today the Theological Commission of the International Marian Association (IMATC), which published a 23-page response. While it recognizes some positive elements, it maintains that Mater Populi Fidelis requires “clarifications and substantial modifications”. The analysis reviews key issues such as:
- the Marian titles of Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix,
- Mary’s instrumental causality in grace,
- the nature of her merit,
- and the pastoral consequences of reducing her role in the Redemption.
The commission warns that the document’s approach to a Redemption based on “Jesus alone, without any human participation” resembles Protestant theology more than Catholic theology.
Signatories: Cardinals, Bishops, Theologians, and Experts in Mariology
Among the signatories of the IMATC’s response are internationally recognized cardinals, bishops, priests, and theologians, such as the biblical scholar Dr. Scott Hahn or the mariologist Dr. Mark Miravalle. Their analysis, academic in tone but critical, coincides with Perrella’s assessment: Mater Populi Fidelis should have been prepared by competent specialists in Mariology.
The Objective: To Ask the Pope to Restore Doctrinal Clarity on Mary
The Filial Appeal being disseminated today offers the clergy and the faithful a simple instrument to convey their concern to the Pope. Its final request expresses the desire to “restore the honor, the truth, and the special veneration due to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother”.
At a time of intense ecclesial debate, the initiative seeks for the Holy Father to hear the pain of those who consider that the Doctrinal Note has obscured Mary’s singular role in the Redemption. The response that Pope Leo XIV may give will, predictably, have a significant impact on contemporary Mariology and on the doctrinal unity of the Church.