Mariology at and after the Second Vatican Council

Abstract

The formal treatment of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) was solemnly promulgated on 21 November 1964 as the eighth and final of the council’s most foundational document Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. There was intense debate over whether there should be a separate document on Mary or whether it should be included in the document on the Church. By a margin of just forty votes it was decided to include the document on Mary in the constitution on the Church. There was a constant tension between presenting Mary in terms of her analogy with Christ and her analogy with the Church. After eight drafts, a remarkable balance was achieved. While the Council Fathers had no intention of saying a final word on Mary, they presented a biblical-dogmatic treatise that provides a solid foundation for teaching about Mary, which continued to be developed and commented on by the postconciliar popes, especially by Pope Saint John Paul II.