Time for a fifth Marian dogma for a world in need of a mother

In the rich tradition of our holy Catholic faith, the Church has been inspired to proclaim four “dogmas,” or solemnly defined truths, about Our Lady. Mary is the Mother of God, proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431. She is the Perpetual Virgin, defined by Pope Martin I in 649. She is “conceived without original sin” (the Immaculate Conception), defined by Bl. Pope Pius IX in 1854; and Mary was “assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (the Assumption), defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

These four dogmatic truths about the Mother of Jesus, sublime as they are, do not include a further doctrinal truth about her, one which is quintessentially important for every single human being—Our Lady’s relationship to us. The crucified Jesus gives from Calvary, as Pope St. John Paul II teaches, a personal gift to every human person—the gift of His mother: “behold your mother” (John 19:27).

In 1915, Belgian Cardinal Desire Mercier initiated an international Catholic petition drive among bishops, clergy, and the faithful for the solemn papal definition of Mary as the “Spiritual Mother of All Peoples.” His rationale for this fifth Marian dogma was simple: if the Holy Father would solemnly proclaim this truth, it would lead to historic graces of peace and mercy for the world. More than a century later, over 1,200 cardinals and bishops, coupled with 8 million laity from 180 countries, have petitioned the popes for this fifth Marian dogma.

Why would a papal proclamation of this dogma bring monumental graces to the world? Jesus wants His gospel truth publicly proclaimed, and when it is,
He responds with great graces.

In Scripture, Jesus asks the apostles, “Who do they say that I am?” This was not because Jesus was in doubt about His divine nature and mission. Rather, He wanted to hear the truth proclaimed by His disciples. Only with Simon’s proclamation of truth, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” does Jesus in turn reward the Church with the historic grace of the papacy, serving the Church until the end of time (cf. Matt 16:13-20).

Now, Jesus wants the truth about His mother to be publicly proclaimed by the Successor of Peter, which will allow Our Lady to fully activate her powerful maternal roles for a Church and world in serious global crisis. Only when the Holy Father solemnly defines Our Lady as the world’s Spiritual Mother, inclusive of her three maternal roles as human Co-redemptrix (the “Mother Suffering”), Mediatrix of all Graces (the “Mother Nourishing”), and Advocate (the “Mother Interceding”), can our Immaculate Mother most fully exercise these powerful motherly roles for a humanity in desperate need of a mother.

The time for the fifth Marian dogma has come. The present grave world scene, underscored by the recent tragic events in Ukraine and beyond, cries out for a historic release of grace— a supernatural intervention of the peace of Christ through the Spiritual Mother of all Peoples. Mothers can unite children in ways children cannot unite themselves. The Spiritual Mother of All Peoples can unite nations in ways only she can.

Join millions of Catholics globally and send a petition to Pope Francis for the fifth Marian dogma (Pope Francis, 00120 Vatican City State). Pray for its proclamation, especially through this inspired, Church-approved Prayer of the Lady of All Nations:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father,
Send now your Spirit over the earth,
Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations,
That they may be preserved from degeneration, disasters, and war.
May the Lady of All Nations,
The Blessed Virgin Mary,
Be our Advocate. Amen.

MARK MIRAVALLE, S.T.D., holds the St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has been teaching since 1986, and is a fellow of Mariology at Ave Maria University. He also is the founder and senior editor of Ecce Mater Tua, an international journal of Mariology research, and president of the International Marian Association. He is known throughout the world for his lectures on Mariology and is the author of more than 20 books.