Pope Sixtus V, Pope Clement VIII, and Pope Paul V – Marian liturgy post-Tridentine (Pontifical Doctrine IV, nos. 176-183)

Popes Sixtus V (1585-1590), Clement VIII (1592-1605), and Paul V (1605-1621) continued the significant post-Tridentine liturgical and devotional consolidation regarding Mary. Their Marian documents (nn. 176-183) cover the Rosary, the reform of the Breviary, and Marian feasts.

Sixtus V (1585-1590), nn. 176-180

Sixtus V is the pope of grand undertakings: he completed St. Peter’s dome, erected Roman obelisks, and legislated extensively on Marian liturgy. His five Marian documents include:

• nn. 176-177, Bull “Intemeratae Matris” (September 1, 1585): On Mary’s purity and the filial devotion due to her. Sixtus V uses the term intemerata (immaculate, intact) as a title for Mary.
• nn. 178-179, Bull “Dum ineffabilia” (January 30, 1586): Regulates Marian feasts on the universal post-Tridentine liturgical calendar, confirming the feasts of the Annunciation, Visitation, Assumption, Nativity, and Immaculate Conception.
• n. 180, Bull “Gloriosae” (June 8, 1587): On Mary’s glory and the promise of beatitude to her faithful devotes.

Clement VIII (1592-1605), n. 181: Motu Proprio “Pastoralis Romani”

The Motu Proprio Pastoralis Romani (July 15, 1598) of Clement VIII is one of the most extensive documents in Doctrina Pontificia IV, covering nearly seven pages. It is a detailed regulation of Marian confraternities in Rome, especially those dedicated to the Rosary, the Scapular, and the Immaculate Conception. Clement VIII expresses a deep personal love for Mary, whom he calls “Mediatrix nostra apud Filium” (our Mediator with the Son).

«Beatissimam Virginem Mariam… non solum Matrem Dei et Domini nostri Iesu Christi esse confitemur, sed et Matrem misericordiae, Advocatam peccatorum, Mediatricem apud Filium suum Deum nostrum»

We confess that we glorify the Most Holy Virgin Mary… not only as Mother of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, but also as Mother of mercy, Advocate of sinners, Mediator with her Son, our God.

Paul V (1605-1621), nn. 182-183: Bull “Immensae bonitatis”

Pope Paul V, who condemned Galileo and canonized St. Teresa of Ávila, is also the author of an important document on Marian theology of grace. The Bull Immensae bonitatis (October 27, 1615) deals with Mary’s special grace for faithful who invoke her, developing the doctrine of Marian mediation.

Further Reading

Explore Mariology, The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, Marialis Cultus, and Post-Graduate Mariology.