Saturday, August 30, 1997

Change in Virgin Mary's status unlikely

By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News

even with such notables as Mother Teresa and New York's Cardinal John O'Connor favoring it, a move among some Roman Catholics to elevate the status of the Virgin Mary to Co-Redemptrix is unlikely, local Catholics believe. Last week's cover of Newsweek magazine was devoted to Mary devotees and their efforts to get Pope John Paul II to exercise his power of papal infallibility to proclaim a new dogma -- something that hasn't been done since 1950 when the Bodily Assumption of Mary was pronounced by Pope Pius XII.

That dogma, which was celebrated with a feast day on Aug. 15, states that after her earthly life, Mary was assumed bodily into heaven.

With only one new declaration in 47 years, the pope "isn't firing off dogmas every day," said the Most Rev. Michael D. Pfeifer, Bishop of the 29-county Diocese of San Angelo, which includes Abilene and many surrounding communities.

"At this point I don't think the pope is ready to make such a statement," Pfeifer said. "At this stage it's theologically inadequate."

However, in the last four years, the pope has received 4.5 million signatures from 157 countries supporting the proposed dogma, according to the *Newsweek article, and some observers believe he is moving in that direction. ECUMENICAL DISASTER

The pope sometimes uses the titles "Co-redemptrix and Co-mediatrix" in his talks, but not in his official writings, Pfeifer said.

nstead, the pope uses the term "Principal Cooperator" in his writings.

"He was careful how he explained that," Pfeifer said. The pope refers to the Virgin Mary as "Principal Cooperator with Christ in bringing salvation to His world."

Pfeifer and other local Catholics fear what such a new dogma would do to relations with other denominations.

"Ecumenically, I think it would be a disaster," said Father Joseph Uecker, priest at St. Vincent Pallotti Church in Abilene. "It gives the impression that you're making a fourth God."

Father Fred Nawarskas, priest at Holy Family Church in Abilene, concurred.

"What we're really working for today is gradual unity among all Christian churches," Nawarskas said. "We wouldn't want a doctrinal pronouncement to derail or even delay this unity." LITTLE INTEREST

Interestingly, the issue locally seems to be one of interest to the clergy but not the laity.

"I would be willing to bet that if we took a survey, 98 percent of the people would say, ' What are you talking about?' " Uecker said.

Two local members of Holy Family Church contacted for comment said they were unaware of the issue, although one added, "I'm against it."

But globally it is a major issue to at least the 4.5 million petition signers. With the rapidly approaching millennium celebration, Marian supporters argue the time is right for such a move.

Some see it as a move toward more equality for women within the Roman Catholic Church and even a step toward women's ordination. Uecker, priest at St. Vincent's, said an article in a recent National Catholic Reporter stated that the proposed dogma "might be the biggest shot in the arm for the ordination of women."

However, Holy Family's Nawarskas disagreed. He noted that the people pushing for the declaration are fundamentalists and "fundamentalist Catholics wouldn't be for women's ordination at all." DOGMA NOT LIKELY

The two local priests agreed with their bishop that the proposal is a bad one and not likely to happen.

"I think the Holy Father would be very reluctant at this time to make such a statement and call it a dogma," Bishop Pfeifer said.

He noted that there is nothing in the Holy Scriptures that "supports what they're promoting."

Even Mary "recognized herself just to be a humble, simple person," Pfeifer said. "It was God who did great things in her. It wasn't her doing."

Another telltale sign that the papal proclamation isn't likely, Pfeifer said, is that before the 1950 dogma of the Bodily Assumption of Mary was proclaimed, the pope consulted with the bishops of the world.

"We have not had such a consultation yet," he said. "It needs much more study and thinking."