"There can be no doubt about the eminent place given to Marian devotion by Vatican II"

After the Second Vatican Council, we can speak of a veritable crisis of Marian devotion, often considered as an expression of a highly suspicious popular religiosity. Words couldn't be harsh enough against mariolatry. The Council itself came close to being guilty of this phobia. But a study of the final chapter of the council’s dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, is enough to refute this view.

This chapter is dedicated to "the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and of the Church". There is thus no ambiguity as to the eminent place accorded by Vatican II to Marian devotion as part of the general economy of Salvation. It is true that some would have preferred that a separate text be devoted to the Mother of God, but the choice made by the Council fathers was imperative for serious theological reasons. And if the danger of sliding towards an excessively Marian religion existed, it was certainly exaggerated.

Pope Paul VI himself made a point of stressing the importance of this uniquely Catholic veneration, by having the unanimous assembly acclaim "Mary, Mother of the Church".

Despite this proclamation, the blows dealt to popular devotion had damaging consequences, and Father René Laurentin deserves credit for defending and illustrating theological Marian devotion against all the attacks it sustained. 

Father Laurentin's intellectual stature was impressive. The theologian-historian was also an exegete. We owe him a study on the Infancy Gospels. Laurentin could have developed a dogmatic corpus, like his contemporaries who also served as experts during the Council. Instead, he chose to specialize in Mariology, not only because of his deep spiritual convictions, but also because of his desire to strengthen popular piety, i.e the faith of the  humble, who see Mary as their advocate and protectress before God.

Gérard Leclerc, Thursday, July 13, 2023

Translated from www.france-catholic.fr