Lumen Gentium chapter VIII – full Latin and English text (Vatican II)

Lumen Gentium is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church promulgated by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council on November 21, 1964. Its Chapter VIII, “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church,” is the most important Magisterial text of the twentieth century on the Virgin Mary, and the obligatory point of departure for all contemporary Mariology.

Historical context

The placement of Mary within the Constitution on the Church, and not in a separate document, as some Council Fathers proposed, was one of the most significant decisions of Vatican II. By a vote of 1114 to 1074 (October 17, 1963), the Council decided to integrate the Marian schema into Lumen Gentium as its Chapter VIII. The decision was of enormous ecumenical and theological value: Mary is not contemplated in isolation, but always in relation to Christ and the Church.

Chapter VIII, original Latin text (Main excerpts)

CAPUT VIII
De Beata Maria Virgine Deipara in mysterio Christi et Ecclesiae

I. Prooemium

Volens autem Sacrosancta Synodus de Beata Virgine Maria exposita doctrina considerationem de Ecclesiae mysterio, in qua supernaturalis ordo versatur, magis in lucem ponere, christifideles hortatur ut pietatem erga Virginem […] et ad Filium eius mediatoremque omnium recta via tendentes…

II. De munere Beatae Virginis in oeconomia salutis (nn. 55-59)

The books of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ into the world is slowly prepared. These ancient documents, as they are read in the Church and understood in the full and mutual light of Revelation, bring ever more clearly to light the figure of the woman, the Mother of the Redeemer. In the light of that same Revelation, it is recognized that already in the promise of victory over the serpent (cf. Gen 3:15) the Virgin Mother is mysteriously foretold.

This singular union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is manifested from the time of the virginal conception of Christ until His death. […] The Blessed Virgin advanced in the pilgrimage of faith, faithfully sustaining her union with the Son unto the cross, where she stood not without a divine counsel (cf. Jn 19:25), suffered deeply with her Only-begotten Son, with a maternal heart associated herself with His sacrifice, lovingly consenting to the immolation of the victim she had brought forth.

III. De Beata Virgine et Ecclesia (nn. 60-65)

Unus est enim mediator noster, secundum verbum Apostoli: «Unus enim Deus, unus et mediator Dei et hominum, homo Christus Iesus, qui dedit semetipsum redemptionem pro omnibus» (1Tm 2, 5-6). Maternitas autem Mariae in ordine gratiae perseverat ab assensu quem in Annuntiatione fideliter praebuit, quemque sub cruce incunctanter sustinuit, usque ad perpetuam omnium electorum consummationem. In caelum enim assumpta hunc salutarem munus non deposuit, sed multiplici intercessione sua pergit in aeternae salutis donis nobis conciliandis.

Beata igitur Virgo in Ecclesia titulis Advocatae, Auxiliatricis, Adiutricis, Mediatricis invocatur. Quod tamen ita intelligitur, ut dignitati et efficacitati Christi unius Mediatoris nihil deroget, nihil superaddat.

IV. De cultu Beatae Virginis in Ecclesia (nn. 66-67)

Maria a Concílio praedicatur quasi «praecellens membrum Ecclesiae» et «typus Ecclesiae». […] Omnes quidem christifideles supplicationes et laudes ad eam effundant, et ea intercedente, a Deo per Filium suum Iesum Christum, Dominum nostrum, eis necessaria impetrentur; Dominum unicum nostrum Iesum Christum, per quem omnia et per quem nos (cf. 1Cor 8, 6), omni debita veneratione prosequantur, mandataque Eius observent.

English translation (Chapter VIII, main excerpts)

CHAPTER VIII
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church

I. Introduction

Desiring to shed greater light on the mystery of the Church, in which the supernatural order is at work, by the consideration of what it has already set forth concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sacrosanct Council exhorts the faithful of Christ that, venerating the Virgin […], they may tend directly to the Son, the mediator of all, and be united to Him…

II. The Role of the Blessed Virgin in the Economy of Salvation (nn. 55-59)

The books of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ into the world is slowly prepared. These ancient documents, as they are read in the Church and understood in the light of the full and mutual Revelation, make the figure of the Woman, the Mother of the Redeemer, gradually clearer. In this light she is already recognized as mysteriously prefigured in the promise of victory over the serpent given to our first parents (cf. Gen 3:15).

This singular union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is manifested from the time of the virginal conception of Christ until His death. […] The Blessed Virgin advanced in the pilgrimage of faith and faithfully maintained her union with the Son unto the cross, where she stood (cf. Jn 19:25) not without a divine plan, suffered intensely with her Only-begotten Son, with a mother’s heart associated herself with His sacrifice, and lovingly consented to the immolation of the victim she had brought forth.

III. The Blessed Virgin and the Church (nn. 60-65)

There is, then, one single mediator of ours, according to the words of the Apostle: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:5-6). Mary’s motherhood in the order of grace, however, endures from the consent she faithfully gave at the Annunciation, and sustained without hesitation beneath the cross, until the perpetual consummation of all the elect. Indeed, taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving office of hers, but by her manifold intercession she continues to obtain for us the gifts of eternal salvation.

The Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. This is so understood that it takes nothing away from, and adds nothing to, the dignity and efficacy of Christ, the one Mediator.

IV. The Cult of the Blessed Virgin in the Church (nn. 66-67)

Mary is proclaimed by the Council as the “pre-eminent member of the Church” and the “type of the Church.” […] Let all Christians pour forth their supplications and praises to her, and, through her intercession, obtain from God through His Son Jesus Christ, Our Lord, what they need; and let them fully follow our one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist (cf. 1 Cor 8:6), and keep His commandments.

Note on the title “Mater ecclesiae”

Chapter VIII does not formally use the title “Mater Ecclesiae.” Paul VI himself, at the close of the third conciliar session (November 21, 1964), proclaimed Mary “Mother of the Church” on his own personal initiative, outside the conciliar text. The title was later inserted into the Litany of Loreto by Francis (February 11, 2018) and celebrated with an obligatory memorial on the Monday after Pentecost.

Theological significance

Chapter VIII of Lumen Gentium establishes three methodological principles of contemporary Mariology: (1) Mary must always be understood in relation to Christ, the Christological principle; (2) Mary must always be understood in relation to the Church, the ecclesiological principle; (3) Marian devotion must always be authentic, avoiding both exaggeration and minimization. Chapter VIII is the reference document for all post-conciliar Mariology, academic and pastoral.

Further reading

Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian Dogmas, Signum Magnum, Marialis Cultus, Redemptoris Mater and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology.

See also: How to study the Marian Magisterium systematically – the complete Locus guide

Learn more about the Immaculate Conception.