By Corinne Winter
As we approach the beginning of May, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on what the Second Vatican Council says about Mary. Shortly after the council, some Catholics tended to feel that the bishops had somehow tried to diminish the role of Mary in the life of the Church. Within a decade, both Pope Paul VI and the U.S. Catholic bishops had written letters to correct that idea.
The council’s statement on Mary appears within the document on the Church — as the eighth chapter of Lumen Gentium. The placement was the result of the closest vote at the council. 1,074 voted for a separate document on Mary while 1,114 favored including her within the document on the Church.
Reflection since the council has demonstrated that by thinking of Mary within the Church, we emphasize her true importance as a sign of our own calling and of our hope as Christians.
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