Francis – Lumen Fidei and Laudato Si: Mary icon of faith and Queen of all creation

The first three major documents of the pontificate of Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei (June 29, 2013, with text by Benedict XVI), Evangelii Gaudium (November 24, 2013) and Laudato Si (May 24, 2015), all end with extensive Marian sections. Mary becomes a key figure for the three themes: faith, evangelization, and integral ecology.

Lumen fidei nn. 58-60, Maria perfecta fidei icona

The encyclical Lumen Fidei concludes with three numbers (58-60) on Mary as the “perfect icon of faith”. It is the first encyclical of the pontificate of Francis and completes a Marian trio with the theological-virtue encyclicals of his predecessors: Deus Caritas Est (charity), Spe Salvi (hope), Lumen Fidei (faith), each one with Mary as the model of the corresponding virtue.

“Maria, perfecta fidei icona, sicut S. Elisabeth dicit, beata est ‘quae credidit’ (Lk 1:45). In Maria, filia Sion, impletur longa via fidei feminarum Veteris Testamenti, quae a Sara incepit. Cum sit ‘memoriam quoque ut quae prius in corde quam in carne Christum concepit’, ipsa via fidei eius totaliter perspectiva est ad Christum”

Mary, perfect icon of faith, as Saint Elizabeth says, is blessed, “she who believed” (Lk 1:45). In Mary, daughter of Zion, the long path of the faith of the women of the Old Testament, which began with Sarah, is completed. Since she is “the memory of her who conceived Christ first in the heart rather than in the flesh”, her path of faith is totally oriented to Christ.

The three elements of Marian faith according to Lumen Fidei:

1. Listening to the Word: Mary listens to the Angel, the Scriptures, and the Son.
2. Trusting in God: Mary trusts even when she does not understand (Lk 2:50).
3. Walking with Christ: Mary goes before the pilgrim Church as the one who “walked in faith” (LG 58).

Laudato si n. 241, Mary Queen of all creation

The encyclical Laudato Si on integral ecology ends with an original Marian section: Mary as Queen not only of human beings but of all creation. This is one of the great Mariological innovations of Francis: to integrate Mary into the ecological vision.

“Maria, Mater quae Iesum curabat, nunc cum amore et solicitudine maternali curat hunc orbem vulneratum. Sicut sui pectoris amaritudine effudit pro Iesu mortuo, ita nunc dolet pro pauperibus crucifixis et pro creaturis huius mundi excisis a humana potentia. Tota mundi creatione transfigurata, ipsa cum Christo glorificato resurgit ut sit ‘Regina totius creationis’”

Mary, the Mother who cared for Jesus, now cares with maternal love and solicitude for this wounded world. Just as she poured out the bitterness of her bosom for the dead Jesus, so now she grieves for the crucified poor and for the creatures of this world destroyed by human power. Glorified with Christ in the transformation of the whole world, she rises again to be “Queen of all Creation”.

This passage broadens the traditional theology of the Queenship of Mary (defined in Ad Caeli Reginam, Pius XII 1954, see post) in an ecological key: Mary reigns not only over human beings, but over all creation, especially creation wounded and threatened by human activity.

Significance for contemporary Mariology

These two texts show the continuity and the innovation of the Marian magisterium of Francis:

• Continuity: Mary icon of faith (Benedict XVI), Mother of the Redeemer (John Paul II), Mother of mercy (traditional).
• Innovation: Mary in solidarity with the crucified poor, Mary concerned for the common home, Mary a mother not only spiritual but existential.

Further reading

Mariology | Evangelii Gaudium | Redemptoris Mater | Ad Caeli Reginam | Spe Salvi

Discover the oldest Marian image in the Catacomb of Priscilla.