ROME (CNS) A formal recognition of Mary as a co-redeemer with Christ would aid in the evangelisation of Asia and be helpful to inter-religious dialogue, said two Asian archbishops. Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa, Philippines, and Archbishop Malayappan Chinnappa of Madras-Mylapore, India, were among six speakers from four continents supporting a movement to officially declare Mary "co-redemptrix, mediatrix and advocate for all Christians."
They spoke at "A Day of Dialogue on the Fifth Marian Dogma" — an event sponsored in Rome on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, by the monthly magazine Inside the Vatican.
Archbishop Chinnappa said a formal recognition of Mary’s role in God’s plan to redeem the world would "favour inter-religious dialogue and healthy evangelisation."
It also would help ecumenism, he said, by clarifying that Mary had a subordinate, albeit special, role with Jesus and that "Catholics do not adore Mary, but venerate (her) in light on her unique cooperation with the Lord."
For years theologians have debated whether Mary should be recognized as "co-redemptrix," or "co-redeemer," with Christ.
The idea is to recognize that, in a secondary and dependant way, no other human being collaborated in the work of redemption as Mary did, including her free consent to bear the Son of God and her unique sharing in Christ’s suffering at Calvary, said Archbishop Chinnappa.
But critics say the title "co-redeemer" might cause confusion or lead people to forget that redemption can only come from Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI said in his 2002 book, "God and the World," that while Mary was important for the church, it was important that reverence for Mary "should not lead us to forget the ‘first’ of Christ: Everything comes from him."
He said at the time that he opposed a movement to grant Mary the title of "co-redeemer" with Christ, saying it could give rise to misunderstandings.
Archbishop Chinnappa told Catholic News Service that the title of co-redeemer would "not dilute the role and nature of Jesus Christ."
"Co-" means "with" and such a title does not supersede the real redeemer, who is Christ, he said.
Mary’s humility, obedience, faith, suffering and persistence "have a very big value" in God’s salvific plan and should be recognized, he added.
The Indian archbishop said Mary plays a unique role in evangelising non-Christians in Asia.
He said the female figure, often in the form of a divine mother, holds high prominence several of in Asia’s religious traditions.
People familiar with these so-called mother-cults find immediate resonance in and are easily open to paying devotion to the Mother Mary, he said. For example, he said the shrine of Our Lady of Good Health at Vailankanni in India, attracts millions of visitors, including Hindus and Muslims.
For many non-Christians in Asia, God is a supreme and mighty being who may trigger within them a sense of fear and trepidation, he said.
To counteract that, many religions established an "advocate to whom we can approach with less fear" and who can communicate to God on behalf of the supplicant, he said.
Families, too, tend to see the role of the mother as mediator between the father and the child, and this concept "may attract people to come more close to Mary and to Christ," he added.
Archbishop Chinnappa said that by emphasizing the vital role Mary played in God’s plan of salvation, the church is able to show how one person can be "called by God to re-establish the kingdom of God."
Archbishop Arguelles agreed that a solemn declaration on Mary’s role would help evangelize Asia, particularly China.
He said in recent decades an increasing number of non-Christian Chinese have been visiting the Philippine shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay. These pilgrims, like many people holding local, indigenous beliefs, worship a goddess who bears a redeemer for the whole world, he said.
Asians also understand the Buddhist concept of a bodhisattva, who is motivated by compassion to turn away from final enlightenment and nirvana in order to "remain on earth to aid the suffering beings."
"Is this not the role of Mary, co-redemptrix and mediatrix, which will be easily understood by the Asian soul?" he asked.
Archbishop Arguelles said that when Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci evangelised China in the 16th-century, he discovered that the Chinese regarded the image of the crucified Christ as being "too gruesome."
Father Ricci then used Mary, Mother of Mercy, as a more acceptable image in order to introduce people to the Passion and the cross, he said.