Venerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Blessing.
From the earliest ages of the catholic church a
Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more
especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers
of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to
the Queen of Heaven. And never has that hope wavered
which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King,
Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by
which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of
God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the
entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly
blessedness with the glory of a Queen.
2. Following upon the frightful calamities which
before Our very eyes have reduced flourishing
cities, towns, and villages to ruins, We see to Our
sorrow that many great moral evils are being spread
abroad in what may be described as a violent flood.
Occasionally We behold justice giving way; and, on
the one hand and the other, the victory of the
powers of corruption. The threat of this fearful
crisis fills Us with a great anguish, and so with
confidence We have recourse to Mary Our Queen,
making known to her those sentiments of filial
reverence which are not Ours alone, but which belong
to all those who glory in the name of Christian.
3. It is gratifying to recall that We ourselves, on
the first day of November of the Holy Year 1950,
before a huge multitude of Cardinals, Bishops,
priests, and of the faithful who had assembled from
every part of the world, defined the dogma of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven[1]
where she is present in soul and body reigning,
together with her only[1a] Son, amid the heavenly
choirs of angels and Saints. Moreover, since almost
a century has passed since Our predecessor of
immortal memory, Pius IX, proclaimed and defined the
dogma that the great Mother of God had been
conceived without any stain of original sin, We
instituted the current Marian Year[2] And now it is
a great consolation to Us to see great multitudes
here in Rome - and especially in the Liberian
Basilica - giving testimony in a striking way to
their faith and ardent love for their heavenly
Mother. In all parts of the world We learn that
devotion to the Virgin Mother of God is flourishing
more and more, and that the principal shrines of
Mary have been visited and are still being visited
by many throngs of Catholic pilgrims gathered in
prayer.
4. It is well known that we have taken advantage of
every opportunity -- through personal audiences and
radio broadcasts -- to exhort Our children in Christ
to a strong and tender love, as becomes children,
for Our most gracious and exalted Mother. On this
point it is particularly fitting to call to mind the
radio message which We addressed to the people of
Portugal, when the miraculous image of the Virgin
Mary which is venerated at Fatima was being crowned
with a golden diadem.[3] We Ourselves called this
the heralding of the "sovereignty" of Mary.[4]
5. And now, that We may bring the Year of Mary to a
happy and beneficial conclusion, and in response to
petitions which have come to Us from all over the
world, We have decided to institute the liturgical
feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen. This will
afford a climax, as it were, to the manifold
demonstrations of Our devotion to Mary, which the
Christian people have supported with such
enthusiasm.
6. In this matter We do not wish to propose a new
truth to be believed by Christians, since the title
and the arguments on which Mary's queenly dignity is
based have already been clearly set forth, and are
to be found in ancient documents of the Church and
in the books of the sacred liturgy.
7. It is Our pleasure to recall these things in the
present encyclical letter, that We may renew the
praises of Our heavenly Mother, and enkindle a more
fervent devotion towards her, to the spiritual
benefit of all mankind.
8. From early times Christians have believed, and
not without reason, that she of whom was born the
Son of the Most High received privileges of grace
above all other beings created by God. He "will
reign in the house of Jacob forever,"[5] "the Prince
of Peace,"[6] the "King of Kings and Lord of
Lords."[7] And when Christians reflected upon the
intimate connection that obtains between a mother
and a son, they readily acknowledged the supreme
royal dignity of the Mother of God.
9. Hence it is not surprising that the early writers
of the Church called Mary "the Mother of the King"
and "the Mother of the Lord," basing their stand on
the words of St. Gabriel the archangel, who foretold
that the Son of Mary would reign forever,[8] and on
the words of Elizabeth who greeted her with
reverence and called her "the Mother of my Lord."[9]
Thereby they clearly signified that she derived a
certain eminence and exalted station from the royal
dignity of her Son.
10. So it is that St. Ephrem, burning with poetic
inspiration, represents her as speaking in this way:
"Let Heaven sustain me in its embrace, because I am
honored above it. For heaven was not Thy mother, but
Thou hast made it Thy throne. How much more
honorable and venerable than the throne of a king is
her mother."[10] And in another place he thus prays
to her: ". . . Majestic and Heavenly Maid, Lady,
Queen, protect and keep me under your wing lest
Satan the sower of destruction glory over me, lest
my wicked foe be victorious against me."[11]
11. St. Gregory Nazianzen calls Mary "the Mother of
the King of the universe," and the "Virgin Mother
who brought forth the King of the whole world,"[12]
while Prudentius asserts that the Mother marvels
"that she has brought forth God as man, and even as
Supreme King."[13]
12. And this royal dignity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary is quite clearly indicated through direct
assertion by those who call her "Lady," "Ruler" and
"Queen."
13. In one of the homilies attributed to Origen,
Elizabeth calls Mary "the Mother of my Lord." and
even addresses her as "Thou, my Lady."[14]
14. The same thing is found in the writings of St.
Jerome where he makes the following statement amidst
various interpretations of Mary's name: "We should
realize that Mary means Lady in the Syrian
Language."[15] After him St. Chrysologus says the
same thing more explicitly in these words: "The
Hebrew word 'Mary' means 'Domina.' The Angel
therefore addresses her as 'Lady' to preclude all
servile fear in the Lord's Mother, who was born and
was called 'Lady' by the authority and command of
her own Son."[16]
15. Moreover Epiphanius, the bishop of
Constantinople, writing to the Sovereign Pontiff
Hormisdas, says that we should pray that the unity
of the Church may be preserved "by the grace of the
holy and consubstantial Trinity and by the prayers
of Mary, Our Lady, the holy and glorious Virgin and
Mother of God."[17]
16. The Blessed Virgin, sitting at the right hand of
God to pray for us is hailed by another writer of
that same era in these words, "the Queen[17a] of
mortal man, the most holy Mother of God."[18]
17. St. Andrew of Crete frequently attributes the
dignity of a Queen to the Virgin Mary. For example,
he writes, "Today He transports from her earthly
dwelling, as Queen of the human race, His
ever-Virgin Mother, from whose womb He, the living
God, took on human form."[19]
18. And in another place he speaks of "the Queen of
the entire human race faithful to the exact meaning
of her name, who is exalted above all things save
only God himself."[20]
19. Likewise St. Germanus speaks to the humble
Virgin in these words: "Be enthroned, Lady, for it
is fitting that you should sit in an exalted place
since you are a Queen and glorious above all
kings."[21] He likewise calls her the "Queen of all
of those who dwell on earth."[22]
20. She is called by St. John Damascene "Queen,
ruler, and lady,"[23] and also "the Queen of every
creature."[24] Another ancient writer of the Eastern
Church calls her "favored Queen," "the perpetual
Queen beside the King, her son," whose "snow-white
brow is crowned with a golden diadem."[25]
21. And finally St. Ildephonsus of Toledo gathers
together almost all of her titles of honor in this
salutation: "O my Lady, my Sovereign, You who rule
over me, Mother of my Lord . . . Lady among
handmaids, Queen among sisters."[26]
22. The theologians of the Church, deriving their
teaching from these and almost innumerable other
testimonies handed down long ago, have called the
most Blessed Virgin the Queen of all creatures, the
Queen of the world, and the Ruler of all.
23. The Supreme Shepherds of the Church have
considered it their duty to promote by eulogy and
exhortation the devotion of the Christian people to
the heavenly Mother and Queen. Simply passing over
the documents of more recent Pontiffs, it is helpful
to recall that as early as the seventh century Our
predecessor St. Martin I called Mary "our glorious
Lady, ever Virgin."[27] St. Agatho, in the synodal
letter sent to the fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical
Council called her "Our Lady, truly and in a proper
sense the Mother of God."[28] And in the eighth
century Gregory II in the letter sent to St.
Germanus, the patriarch, and read in the Seventh
Ecumenical Council with all the Fathers concurring,
called the Mother of God: "The Queen of all, the
true Mother of God," and also "the Queen of all
Christians."[29]
24. We wish also to recall that Our predecessor of
immortal memory, Sixtus IV, touched favorably upon
the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin, beginning the Apostolic Letter Cum
praeexcelsa[30] with words in which Mary is called
"Queen," "Who is always vigilant to intercede with
the king whom she bore." Benedict XIV declared the
same thing in his Apostolic Letter Gloriosae Dominae,
in which Mary is called "Queen of heaven and earth,"
and it is stated that the sovereign King has in some
way communicated to her his ruling power.[31]
25. For all these reasons St. Alphonsus Ligouri, in
collecting the testimony of past ages, writes these
words with evident devotion: "Because the virgin
Mary was raised to such a lofty dignity as to be the
mother of the King of kings, it is deservedly and by
every right that the Church has honored her with the
title of 'Queen'."[32]
26. Furthermore, the sacred liturgy, which acts as a
faithful reflection of traditional doctrine believed
by the Christian people through the course of all
the ages both in the East and in the West, has sung
the praises of the heavenly Queen and continues to
sing them.
27. Ardent voices from the East sing out: "O Mother
of God, today thou art carried into heaven on the
chariots of the cherubim, the seraphim wait upon
thee and the ranks of the heavenly army bow before
thee."[33]
28. Further: "O just, O most blessed (Joseph), since
thou art sprung from a royal line, thou hast been
chosen from among all mankind to be spouse of the
pure Queen who, in a way which defies description,
will give birth to Jesus the king."[34] In addition:
"I shall sing a hymn to the mother, the Queen, whom
I joyously approach in praise, gladly celebrating
her wonders in song. . . Our tongue cannot worthily
praise thee, O Lady; for thou who hast borne Christ
the king art exalted above the seraphim. . . Hail, O
Queen of the world; hail, O Mary, Queen of us
all."[35]
29. We read, moreover, in the Ethiopic Missal: "O
Mary, center of the whole world, . . . thou art
greater than the many-eyed cherubim and the
six-winged seraphim . . . Heaven and earth are
filled with the sanctity of thy glory."[36]
30. Furthermore, the Latin Church sings that sweet
and ancient prayer called the "Hail, Holy Queen" and
the lovely antiphons "Hail, Queen of the Heavens,"
"O Queen of Heaven, Rejoice," and those others which
we are accustomed to recite on feasts of the Blessed
Virgin Mary: "The Queen stood at Thy right hand in
golden vesture surrounded with beauty"[37]; "Heaven
and earth praise thee as a powerful Queen"[38];
"Today the Virgin Mary ascends into heaven: rejoice
because she reigns with Christ forever."[39]
31. To these and others should be added the Litany
of Loreto which daily invites Christian folk to call
upon Mary as Queen. Likewise, for many centuries
past Christians have been accustomed to meditate
upon the ruling power of Mary which embraces heaven
and earth, when they consider the fifth glorious
mystery of the rosary which can be called the
mystical crown of the heavenly Queen.
32. Finally, art which is based upon Christian
principles and is animated by their spirit as
something faithfully interpreting the sincere and
freely expressed devotion of the faithful, has since
the Council of Ephesus portrayed Mary as Queen and
Empress seated upon a royal throne adorned with
royal insignia, crowned with the royal diadem and
surrounded by the host of angels and saints in
heaven, and ruling not only over nature and its
powers but also over the machinations of Satan.
Iconography, in representing the royal dignity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, has ever been enriched with
works of highest artistic value and greatest beauty;
it has even taken the form of representing
colorfully the divine Redeemer crowning His mother
with a resplendent diadem.
33. The Roman Pontiffs, favoring such types of
popular devotion, have often crowned, either in
their own persons, or through representatives,
images of the Virgin Mother of God which were
already outstanding by reason of public veneration.
34. As We have already mentioned, Venerable
Brothers, according to ancient tradition and the
sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal
dignity of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine
Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning the Son whom
Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall
be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God
shall give unto him the throne of David his father,
and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end,"[40] and in
addition Mary is called "Mother of the Lord";[41]
from this it is easily concluded that she is a
Queen, since she bore a son who, at the very moment
of His conception, because of the hypostatic union
of the human nature with the Word, was also as man
King and Lord of all things. So with complete
justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she
became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen
of every creature."[42] Likewise, it can be said
that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was
the first to proclaim Mary's royal office.
35. But the Blessed Virgin Mary should be called
Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood,
but also because God has willed her to have an
exceptional role in the work of our eternal
salvation. "What more joyful, what sweeter thought
can we have" -- as Our Predecessor of happy memory,
Pius XI wrote -- "than that Christ is our King not
only by natural right, but also by an acquired
right: that which He won by the redemption? Would
that all men, now forgetful of how much we cost Our
Savior, might recall to mind the words, 'You were
redeemed, not with gold or silver which perishes, .
. . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
Lamb spotless and undefiled.[43] We belong not to
ourselves now, since Christ has bought us 'at a
great price'."[44], [45]
36. Now, in the accomplishing of this work of
redemption, the Blessed Virgin Mary was most closely
associated with Christ; and so it is fitting to sing
in the sacred liturgy: "Near the cross of Our Lord
Jesus Christ there stood, sorrowful, the Blessed
Mary, Queen of Heaven and Queen of the World."[46]
Hence, as the devout disciple of St. Anselm (Eadmer,
ed.) wrote in the Middle Ages: "just as . . . God,
by making all through His power, is Father and Lord
of all, so the blessed Mary, by repairing all
through her merits, is Mother and Queen of all; for
God is the Lord of all things, because by His
command He establishes each of them in its own
nature, and Mary is the Queen of all things, because
she restores each to its original dignity through
the grace which she merited.[47]
37. For "just as Christ, because He redeemed us, is
our Lord and king by a special title, so the Blessed
Virgin also (is our queen), on account of the unique
manner in which she assisted in our redemption, by
giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him
for us, by her singular desire and petition for, and
active interest in, our salvation."[48]
38. From these considerations, the proof develops on
these lines: if Mary, in taking an active part in
the work of salvation, was, by God's design,
associated with Jesus Christ, the source of
salvation itself, in a manner comparable to that in
which Eve was associated with Adam, the source of
death, so that it may be stated that the work of our
salvation was accomplished by a kind of
"recapitulation,"[49] in which a virgin was
instrumental in the salvation of the human race,
just as a virgin had been closely associated with
its death; if, moreover, it can likewise be stated
that this glorious Lady had been chosen Mother of
Christ "in order that she might become a partner in
the redemption of the human race";[50] and if, in
truth, "it was she who, free of the stain of actual
and original sin, and ever most closely bound to her
Son, on Golgotha offered that Son to the Eternal
Father together with the complete sacrifice of her
maternal rights and maternal love, like a new Eve,
for all the sons of Adam, stained as they were by
his lamentable fall,"[51] then it may be
legitimately concluded that as Christ, the new Adam,
must be called a King not merely because He is Son
of God, but also because He is our Redeemer, so,
analogously, the Most Blessed Virgin is queen not
only because she is Mother of God, but also because,
as the new Eve, she was associated with the new
Adam.
39. Certainly, in the full and strict meaning of the
term, only Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is King; but
Mary, too, as Mother of the divine Christ, as His
associate in the redemption, in his struggle with
His enemies and His final victory over them, has a
share, though in a limited and analogous way, in His
royal dignity. For from her union with Christ she
attains a radiant eminence transcending that of any
other creature; from her union with Christ she
receives the royal right to dispose of the treasures
of the Divine Redeemer's Kingdom; from her union
with Christ finally is derived the inexhaustible
efficacy of her maternal intercession before the Son
and His Father.
40. Hence it cannot be doubted that Mary most Holy
is far above all other creatures in dignity, and
after her Son possesses primacy over all. "You have
surpassed every creature," sings St. Sophronius.
"What can be more sublime than your joy, O Virgin
Mother? What more noble than this grace, which you
alone have received from God"?[52] To this St.
Germanus adds: "Your honor and dignity surpass the
whole of creation; your greatness places you above
the angels."[53] And St. John Damascene goes so far
as to say: "Limitless is the difference between
God's servants and His Mother."[54]
41. In order to understand better this sublime
dignity of the Mother of God over all creatures let
us recall that the holy Mother of God was, at the
very moment of her Immaculate Conception, so filled
with grace as to surpass the grace of all the
Saints. Wherefore, as Our Predecessor of happy
memory, Pius IX wrote, God "showered her with
heavenly gifts and graces from the treasury of His
divinity so far beyond what He gave to all the
angels and saints that she was ever free from the
least stain of sin; she is so beautiful and perfect,
and possesses such fullness of innocence and
holiness, that under God a greater could not be
dreamed, and only God can comprehend the
marvel."[55]
42. Besides, the Blessed Virgin possessed, after
Christ, not only the highest degree of excellence
and perfection, but also a share in that influence
by which He, her Son and our Redeemer, is rightly
said to reign over the minds and wills of men. For
if through His Humanity the divine Word performs
miracles and gives graces, if He uses His Sacraments
and Saints as instruments for the salvation of men,
why should He not make use of the role and work of
His most holy Mother in imparting to us the fruits
of redemption? "With a heart that is truly a
mother's," to quote again Our Predecessor of
immortal memory, Pius IX, "does she approach the
problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for the
whole human race; made Queen of heaven and earth by
the Lord, exalted above all choirs of angels and
saints, and standing at the right hand of her only
[55a] Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she intercedes
powerfully for us with a mother's prayers, obtains
what she seeks, and cannot be refused."[56] On this
point another of Our Predecessors of happy memory,
Leo XIII, has said that an "almost immeasurable"
power has been given Mary in the distribution of
graces;[57] St. Pius X adds that she fills this
office "as by the right of a mother."[58]
43. Let all Christians, therefore, glory in being
subjects of the Virgin Mother of God, who, while
wielding royal power, is on fire with a mother's
love.
44. Theologians and preachers, however, when
treating these and like questions concerning the
Blessed Virgin, must avoid straying from the correct
course, with a twofold error to guard against: that
is to say, they must beware of unfounded opinions
and exaggerated expressions which go beyond the
truth, on the other hand, they must watch out for
excessive narrowness of mind in weighing that
exceptional, sublime, indeed all but divine dignity
of the Mother of God, which the Angelic Doctor
teaches must be attributed to her "because of the
infinite goodness that is God."[59]
45. For the rest, in this as in other points of
Christian doctrine, "the proximate and universal
norm of truth" is for all the living Magisterium of
the Church, which Christ established "also to
illustrate and explain those matters which are
contained only in an obscure way, and implicitly in
the deposit of faith."[60]
46. From the ancient Christian documents, from
prayers of the liturgy, from the innate piety of the
Christian people, from works of art, from every side
We have gathered witnesses to the regal dignity of
the Virgin Mother of God; We have likewise shown
that the arguments deduced by Sacred Theology from
the treasure store of the faith fully confirm this
truth. Such a wealth of witnesses makes up a
resounding chorus which changes the sublimity of the
royal dignity of the Mother of God and of men, to
whom every creature is subject, who is "exalted to
the heavenly throne, above the choirs of
angels."[61]
47. Since we are convinced, after long and serious
reflection, that great good will accrue to the
Church if this solidly established truth shines
forth more clearly to all, like a luminous lamp
raised aloft, by Our Apostolic authority We decree
and establish the feast of Mary's Queenship, which
is to be celebrated every year in the whole world on
the 31st of May. We likewise ordain that on the same
day the consecration of the human race to the
Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary be
renewed, cherishing the hope that through such
consecration a new era may begin, joyous in
Christian peace and in the triumph of religion.
48. Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater
trust the throne of grace and mercy of our Queen and
Mother, and beg for strength in adversity, light in
darkness, consolation in sorrow; above all let them
strive to free themselves from the slavery of sin
and offer an unceasing homage, filled with filial
loyalty, to their Queenly Mother. Let her churches
be thronged by the faithful, her feast-days honored;
may the beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all;
may Christians gather, in small numbers and large,
to sing her praises in churches, in homes, in
hospitals, in prisons. May Mary's name be held in
highest reverence, a name sweeter than honey and
more precious than jewels; may none utter
blasphemous words, the sign of a defiled soul,
against that name graced with such dignity and
revered for its motherly goodness; let no one be so
bold as to speak a syllable which lacks the respect
due to her name.
49. All, according to their state, should strive to
bring alive the wondrous virtues of our heavenly
Queen and most loving Mother through constant effort
of mind and manner. Thus will it come about that all
Christians, in honoring and imitating their sublime
Queen and Mother, will realize they are truly
brothers, and with all envy and avarice thrust
aside, will promote love among classes, respect the
rights of the weak, cherish peace. No one should
think himself a son of Mary, worthy of being
received under her powerful protection, unless, like
her, he is just, gentle and pure, and shows a
sincere desire for true brotherhood, not harming or
injuring but rather helping and comforting others.
50. In some countries of the world there are people
who are unjustly persecuted for professing their
Christian faith and who are deprived of their divine
and human rights to freedom; up till now reasonable
demands and repeated protests have availed nothing
to remove these evils. May the powerful Queen of
creation, whose radiant glance banishes storms and
tempests and brings back cloudless skies, look upon
these her innocent and tormented children with eyes
of mercy; may the Virgin, who is able to subdue
violence beneath her foot, grant to them that they
may soon enjoy the rightful freedom to practice
their religion openly, so that, while serving the
cause of the Gospel, they may also contribute to the
strength and progress of nations by their harmonious
cooperation, by the practice of extraordinary
virtues which are a glowing example in the midst of
bitter trials.
51. By this Encyclical Letter We are instituting a
feast so that all may recognize more clearly and
venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal
sway of the Mother of God. We are convinced that
this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and
prolong that peace among nations which daily is
almost destroyed by recurring crises. Is she not a
rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God, the
pledge of a covenant of peace?[62] "Look upon the
rainbow, and bless Him that made it; surely it is
beautiful in its brightness. It encompasses the
heaven about with the circle of its glory, the hands
of the Most High have displayed it."[63] Whoever,
therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth
- and let no one consider himself exempt from this
tribute of a grateful and loving soul - let him
invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix
of peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which
is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without
restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule
of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth
the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary
impel us.
52. Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of
Christendom may hear these Our prayers, and by her
peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may,
after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be
our eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable
Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God's
divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart
We impart the Apostolic Benediction.
Given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on the feast of the
Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh
day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of our
Pontificate.
PIUS XII
---------------------------------------------------------------
1. Cf. constitutio apostolica Munificentissirnus
Deus: AAS XXXXII 1950, p. 753 sq.
1a. The Latin word is Unigena. - Ed.
2. Cf. litt. enc. Fulgens corona: AAS XXXXV, 1953,
p. 577 sq.
3. Cf. AAS XXXVIII, 1946, p. 264 sq.
4. Cf. L'Osservatore Romano, d. 19 Maii, a. 1946.
5. Luc. I, 32.
6. Isai. IX, 6.
7. Apoc. XIX, 16.
8. Cf. Luc. I, 32, 33.
9. Luc. I, 43.
10. S. Ephraem, Hymni de B. Maria, ed. Th. J. Lamy,
t. II, Mechliniae, 1886, hymn. XIX, p. 624.
11. Idem, Oratio ad Ssmam Dei Matrem; Opera omnia,
Ed. Assemani, t. III (graece), Romae, 1747, pag.
546.
12. S. Gregorius Naz., Poemata dogmatica, XVIII, v.
58; PG XXXVII, 485.
13. Prudentius, Dittochaeum, XXVII: PL LX, 102 A.
14. Hom. in S. Lucam, hom. VII; ed. Rauer, Origenes'
Werke, T. IX, p. 48 (ex catena Marcarii
Chrysocephali). Cf. PG XIII, 1902 D.
15. S. Hieronymus, Liber de nominibus hebraeis: PL
XXIII, 886.
16. S. Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo 142, De
Annuntiatione B.M.V.: PL LII, 579 C; cf. etiam 582
B; 584 A: "Regina totius exstitit castitatis."
17. Relatio Epiphanii Ep. Constantin.: PL LXII, 498
D.
17a. Generally throughout the encyclical the Latin
word Regina is used to describe Mary. In this case
and a few others the word is Domina. "Queen" seems
to be the best English equivalent. "Ruler", when it
occurs, is a rendition of Dominatrix. - Ed.
18. Encomium in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae (inter
opera S. Modesti): PG LXXXVI, 3306 B.
19. S. Andreas Cretensis, Homilia II in Dormitionem
Ssmae Deiparae: PG XCVII, 1079 B.
20. Id., Homilia III in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae:
PG XCVII, 1099 A.
21. S. Germanus, In Praesentationem Ssmae Deiparae,
I: PG XCVIII, 303 A.
22. Id., In Praesentationem Ssmae Deiparae, n PG
XCVIII, 315 C.
23. S. Ioannes Damascenus, Homilia I in Dormitionem
B.M.V.: P.G. XCVI, 719 A.
24. Id., De fide orthodoxa, I, IV, c. 14: PG XLIV,
1158 B.
25. De laudibus Mariae (inter opera Venantii
Fortunati): PL LXXXVIII, 282 B et 283 A.
26. Ildefonsus Toletanus, De virginitate perpetua
B.M.V.: PL XCVI, 58 A D.
27. S. Martinus I, Epist. XIV: PL LXXXVII, 199-200
A.
28. S. Agatho: PL LXXXVII, 1221 A.
29. Hardouin, Acta Conciliorum, IV, 234; 238: PL
LXXXIX, 508 B.
30. Xystus IV, bulla Cum praeexcelsa. d. d. 28 Febr.
a. 1476.
31. Benedictus XIV, bulla Gloriosae Dominae, d. d.
27 Sept. a. 1748.
32. S. Alfonso, Le glone de Maria, p. I, c. I, §1.
33. Ex liturgia Armenorum: in festo Assumptionis,
hymnus ad Matutinum.
34. Ex Menaeo (byzantino): Dominica post Natalem, in
Canone, ad Matutinum.
35. Officium hymni Axathistos (in ritu byzantino).
36. Missale Aethiopicum, Anaphora Dominae nostrae
Mariae, Matris Dei.
37. Brev. Rom., Versiculus sexti Respons.
38. Festum Assumptionis; hymnus Laudum.
39. Ibidem, ad Magnificat II Vesp.
40. Luc. I, 32, 33.
41. Ibid. I, 43.
42. S. Ioannes Damascenus, De fide orthodoxa, 1. IV,
c. 14; PL XCIV, 1158 s. B.
43. I Petr. I, 18, 19.
44. I Cor. VI, 20.
45. Pius XI, litt. enc. Quas primas: AAS XVII, 1925,
p. 599.
46. Festum septem dolorum B. Mariae Virg., Tractus.
47. Eadmerus, De excellentia Virginis Mariae, c. 11:
PL CLIX, 508 A B.
48. F. Suárez, De mysteriis vitae Christi, disp.
XXII, sect. II (ed Vivčs, XIX, 327).
49. S. Irenaeus, Adv. haer., V, 19, 1: PG VII, 1175
B.
50. Pius XI, epist. Auspicatus profecto: AAS XXV,
1933, p. 80.
51. Pius XII, litt. enc. Mystici Corporis: AAS XXXV,
1943, p. 247.
52. S. Sophronius, In annuntianone Beatae Mariae
Virginis: PG LXXXVII, 3238 D; 3242 A.
53. S. Germanus, Hom. II in dormitione Beatae Mariae
Virginis: PG XCVIII, 354 B.
54. S. Ioannes Damascenus, Hom. I in Dormitionem
Beatae Mariae Virginis: PG XCVI, 715 A.
55. Pius IX, bulla Ineffabilis Deus: Acta Pii IX, I,
p. 597-598.
55a.Unigena. - Ed.
56. Ibid. p. 618.
57. Leo XIII, litt. enc. Adiumcem populi: ASS,
XXVIII, 1895-1896, p.130.
58. Pius X, litt enc. Ad diem illum: ASS XXXVI,
1903-1904, p.455.
59. S. Thomas, Summa Theol., I, q. 25, a. 6, ad 4.
60. Pius XII, litt. enc. Humani generis: AAS XLII,
1950, p. 569.
61. Ex Brev. Rom.: Festum Assumptionis Beatae Mariae
Virginis.
62. Cf. Gen. IX, 13.
63. Eccl. XLIII, 12-13.
