Pope firm on Mary doctrines in letter

 — Mar. 26, 198726 mars 1987

[VATICAN CITY – Reuters] Pope John Paul, in an encyclical issued Wednesday, reaffirmed Roman Catholic doctrines on the immaculate conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ; her virgin birth, and assumption to heaven – teachings some Protestants say block Christian unity.

But the Pope said in the 114-page encyclical that Christians should find in Mary a source of unity rather than a cause of division.

The encyclical, a pastoral letter addressed by a pope to the entire Roman Catholic church, is the sixth since Pope John Paul’s election in 1978.

The pontiff wrote it to coincide with a special Marian Year he called to run from June 1987 through August 1988.

He said devotion to Mary could play a role in Christian unity because the Bible relates that she was the first person to accept God’s plan for salvation and because she was present when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles after Christ’s death and resurrection.

The Pope reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church’s three main Marian teachings:

* That because Mary was pre-destined to be the mother of God she was born without the original sin that tainted all humanity since Adam and Eve first disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

* That Mary conceived Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and without sexual relations with any man, and remained a virgin all her life.

* That Mary was taken up to heaven body and soul.

Posted: Mar. 26, 1987 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=6399
Categories: NewsIn this article: doctrine, encyclicals, John Paul II, Mary
Transmis : 26 mars 1987 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=6399
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : doctrine, encyclicals, John Paul II, Mary


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