Written by: Pastor Dan Delzell
In a recent decree approved by Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican’s top doctrinal office instructed the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics not to refer to Mary as the “co-redeemer” of the world. The decree stated that Jesus alone redeemed humanity by His crucifixion and death.
This is a remarkable development, especially since for centuries some Catholics (including some popes) have been calling Mary a “co-redemptrix.” The late Pope Francis fiercely opposed granting Mary the title of “co-redeemer,” even calling the idea “foolishness.”
But what about praying to Mary? Is there anything wrong with that? After all, Mary was “highly favored,” (Luke 1:28) meaning “favored with grace.” And since God granted so much grace to Mary, can the mother of our Lord in turn give you grace and blessings if you seek her with all your heart?
The Catholic Catechism states, “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men…she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her.” (CCC 2679)
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) said, “Remember that it has never been heard of in any age, that any sinner who turned to you (Mary) was rejected by you. I am a miserable sinner, but I turn to you and trust in you.”
Catholic leaders promote the magical idea that praying to Mary will bring you blessings. And certain popes have even taken it a step further by elevating Mary to the lofty, yet fictitious, role: “Queen of Heaven.” This obsession with Mary is a stumbling block within Catholicism.
Sincere and loving Catholics should ask themselves: “Am I a Christian first, or a Catholic first?” Those who are Christian first and Catholic second feel less compelled to pray to Mary and other deceased saints.
Since religious leaders sometimes get it wrong, Christians should carefully evaluate everything their church teaches. For example, “The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).
The New Testament contains over 1,000 instructions for holy living. And yet Jesus, Paul, Peter and James never once instructed believers to pray to deceased saints in Heaven. So, are popes smarter than Jesus and the apostles? Of course not. The “Queen of Heaven” concept is merely a figment of their imagination.
“First and second-century Christians would have found any prayers to Mary a totally alien practice.” Born-again Catholics, like born-again Baptists and born-again Presbyterians, are fully capable of understanding why praying to Mary is wrong.
The Apostle John taught believers to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” (1 John 4:1) “Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12) present Mary as a mediator of grace. Scripture, on the other hand, declares: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
Why does praying to Mary seem almost like an occult ritual to discerning Christians? It is because praying to deceased saints is just one step short of a seance, where people attempt to have an actual two-way conversation with the dead.
Likewise, apparitions of Mary are an occult phenomenon. “Former New Ager Alan Morrison says that some occultists have claimed ‘Mary‘ as one of the ‘Ascended Masters’…Mother Mary as represented in the occult literature is virtually identical to the form of the Virgin Mary which appears in Roman Catholic visions and apparitions.”
Praying to Mary is just as wrong as praying to Eve, Zeus, St. Joseph, Moses, Allah, St. Peter or Odin. Mary doesn’t hear any of the prayers offered up to her. After all, only God can hear, let alone answer, millions of prayers.
Having admiration for redeemed saints in Heaven is one thing, but praying to them is a foolish form of piety and a counterfeit form of true prayer. This unbiblical practice leads to mystical fascinations and spiritual confusion.
But the more you read your Bible and pray only to God, the easier it becomes to break free from the unholy addiction of praying to deceased saints. If you find yourself thinking about Mary everyday, aim instead to “fix your thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1) and on Scripture as you pray directly to your Creator and Redeemer.
Imagine if Pope Leo followed up his recent decree with this directive to Catholics: “Stop praying to Mary and other deceased saints in Heaven. Pray only to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Pope Leo could ask God for the courage necessary to make this much-needed declaration.
If you currently pray to Mary, the best Christmas gift you could give yourself this year is a cease and desist order. Since God created you with free will, you are free to stop this incredibly bad habit. That is, if you love Jesus far more than you admire Mary.
The troubling practice of praying to deceased saints would no doubt be addressed by the Apostle Paul if he were to write a letter to Catholics today. In addition to presenting a list of corrective measures covering a wide range of pertinent issues, he would likely reiterate these thoughts he expressed nearly 2000 years ago:
“This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10).
Spiritual discernment enables believers to see what’s wrong with praying to Mary, and to affirm the truth about our Redeemer. Jesus is King, and Heaven has no queen.
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Date published: 11/01/2026
Feature image sourced by FreePik.
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