The Vatican has settled a decades-long debate over the Virgin Mary, issuing a decree on Tuesday that she did not help Jesus save humanity from sin. The instruction, approved by Pope Leo XIV, tells Catholics not to call Mary the “co-redeemer.”

Pope Leo said, “It would not be appropriate to… create confusion and an imbalance in the truths of the Christian faith,” according to Crux. The decree emphasised Mary’s role as an intermediary who “opened the gates of the Redemption that all humanity had awaited.”

The Holy See clarified that salvation comes solely through Jesus Christ, ending disagreements among recent popes over Mary’s title.

The late Pope Francis had described the concept of Mary as “co-redeemer” as foolishness in 2019, saying she “never wanted to take anything for herself from her son,” while Pope Benedict XVI also opposed the title. Pope John Paul II had supported it but stopped using it publicly in the mid-1990s after Vatican doctrinal authorities raised concerns.

The new decree highlights Mary’s biblical obedience, noting her response to the angel Gabriel: “Let it be”.

Church scholars welcomed the clarification, saying it reinforces the centrality of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection in Catholic faith.

Pope Leo’s decision comes amid other Vatican reforms, including changes to financial oversight laws.

Observers told National Catholic Reporter that the decree may settle long-standing theological debates while reinforcing the human-interest dimension of Mary’s role as a faithful mother guiding believers toward Christ.