Sixtus V, Clement VIII, and Paul V – post-Tridentine Marian liturgy (Doctrina Pontificia IV, nn. 176-183)
The popes Sixtus V (1585-1590), Clement VIII (1592-1605), and Paul V (1605-1621) continue the great work of post-Tridentine liturgical and devotional consolidation with regard to Mary. Their Marian documents (nn. 176-183) cover the Rosary, the reform of the Breviary, and the Marian feasts.
| Collection | Doctrina Pontificia IV: Marian Documents, nn. 176-183 |
| Popes | Sixtus V (1585-1590) | Clement VIII (1592-1605) | Paul V (1605-1621) |
| Theme | Rosary, Marian liturgy, post-Tridentine reform |
Sixtus V (1585-1590), nn. 176-180
Sixtus V is the pope of great undertakings: he completed the dome of Saint Peter’s, erected the Roman obelisks, and legislated abundantly on the Marian liturgy. His five Marian documents include:
- nn. 176-177, Bull “Intemeratae Matris” (September 1, 1585): On the purity of Mary and the filial devotion due to her. Sixtus V uses the expression intemerata (immaculate, inviolate) as a title of Mary.
- nn. 178-179, Bull “Dum ineffabilia” (January 30, 1586): It regulates the Marian feasts in the universal post-Tridentine liturgical calendar, confirming the feasts of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Assumption, the Nativity, and the Immaculate Conception.
- n. 180, Bull “Gloriosae” (June 8, 1587): On the glory of Mary and the promise of beatitude to her faithful devotees.
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 of Doctrina Pontificia IV, covering almost seven pages. It is a detailed regulation of the Marian confraternities in Rome, especially those dedicated to the Rosary, to the Scapular, and to the Immaculate Conception. Clement VIII shows a profound personal love for Mary, whom he calls “Mediatrix nostra apud Filium”, our Mediatrix 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 the Most Blessed Virgin Mary… is not only the Mother of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also the Mother of mercy, the Advocate of sinners, the Mediatrix with her Son, our God.
Paul V (1605-1621), nn. 182-183: bull “Immensae bonitatis”
Paul V, the pope of the condemnation of Galileo and of the canonization of Saint Teresa of Ávila, is also the pope of an important document on the Mariology of grace. The Bull Immensae bonitatis (October 27, 1615) deals with Mary’s special grace toward the faithful who invoke her, developing the doctrine of Marian mediation.
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