Marian Studies Volume 53 The Marian Dimension of the Christian Article 5 Life: II. The Middle Period 2002 Mary Since Vatican II: Decline and Recovery Avery Dulles Follow this and additional works at: http://ecommons.udayton.edu/marian_studies Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Dulles, Avery (2002) "Mary Since Vatican II: Decline and Recovery," Marian Studies: Vol. 53, Article 5. Available at: http://ecommons.udayton.edu/marian_studies/vol53/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Marian Library Publications at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marian Studies by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. MARY SINCE VATICAN II: DECLINE AND RECOVERY Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ * The Blessed Virgin Mary has inspired art, poetry, devotion, and theology in manifold ways over the centuries, fulfilling her own prediction, "All generations will call me blessed." My own task this evening is to say a little about Mary in recent Catholic theology. From the late Middle Ages until the middle of the twentieth century the predominant emphasis had been on the uniqueness of Mary and the privileges that set her apart from all other children of Eve. The Immaculate Conception and the Assumption were solemnly proclaimed by Pius IX and Pius XII respectively. Following the definition of the Assump tion in 1950 there was a flurry of speculation about possible new titles for Mary, for example, Mediatrix of all Graces and Co-redemptrix. This trend, however, raised questions in the minds of re flective theologians.