Co-Redemptrix, Migration, and Climate: What Pope Leo Is Saying
New Book, New Debates: Pope Leo XIV on Faith and Peace
When you hear headlines about “co-redemptrix,” migrants at the border, climate change, and yet another papal book, it’s easy to tune out. Dominic and Fr. Matthew walk through what Pope Leo XIV is actually doing and saying:
✅ Why the Vatican is discouraging the title “co-redemptrix” for Mary
✅ How Mary as “Mediatrix” can be understood without eclipsing Christ
✅ What Pope Leo XIV and the U.S. bishops are really saying about migrants and borders
✅ Why climate concern in the Church is tied to justice for the poor, not “tree-hugging” politics
Pope Leo XIV’s Busy Month: Marian Titles, Migrants, Climate and a Call to Peace
Smart Catholics show unpacks new Vatican document, Pope’s book, U.S. bishops’ migration statement and COP30 remarks
Vatican cautions on ‘co-redemptrix’ while clarifying Mary’s role
The first topic was the document Mater Populi Fidelis, issued by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to address long-standing debates over titles for the Virgin Mary, especially “co-redemptrix” and “Mediatrix of all graces.”
Fr. Matthew described it as a response to persistent lobbying.
“This was a… document that was released by, this is Cardinal Fernandez of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith. It’s Matere Populi Fidelis,” he said. “This is a document that basically was addressing some questions concerning Mary. It’s something that has been repeatedly been coming up in conversations about Mary and especially when it comes to her title as, or possible title as co-redemptrix, also a Mediatrix of all graces and, you know, certain things like this.”
He noted that theologians had “been petitioning, you know, to the Vatican, you know, asking for possible approval for, you know, these different titles and, to look into these titles to see how they possibly were used, you know, throughout church history.”
According to his summary, Fernández explains that the volume and persistence of such petitions “really merited a response.”
The document, he said, seeks to give “the full theological underpinning” for why some Marian titles can be used under strict conditions and why others are discouraged.
“Of course, concerning the title of co-redemptrix, the church is pretty much looking down upon that title,” he said. “It’s not explicitly condemning it, saying that that title is heresy, or things like that. But what it is saying is yes, it can be properly understood in certain contexts. At the same time, it lends itself to a lot of misunderstanding.”
That concern is especially acute in dialogue with other Christians.
“Especially when we’re speaking to people who are not Catholic or people who are Protestant or, you know, to non-Catholic Christians,” he said. “It can be a title that always requires some sort of explanation… But even after the explanation, it still can be confusing for people.”
For that reason, he said, “the cardinal has basically discouraged people from using that title.”
The document treats “Mediatrix of all graces” more cautiously, reaffirming that any mediation attributed to Mary or the saints is entirely dependent on Christ.
“It actually gives a good theological explanation as to how Mary functions as a Mediatrix,” Fr. Matthew said. “You know, it’s always in union with Christ and acknowledging that Christ is the Mediator. He is the sole Mediator between God and man. Any way that Mary or any of the saints or even any of us can be called Mediators or Mediatrix in some way is only by our participation with Christ’s unique mediation between God and man.”
The text, he said, “is pretty much just reaffirming what the tradition of the church and what the doctrine of the faith has always been concerning these matters,” while warning that phrases like “Mediatrix of all graces” “can be problematic at times” if they are used without careful explanation.
New book collects Pope’s speeches on faith in “10 words”
The second topic was a new volume drawn from Pope Leo XIV’s speeches and interventions: The Power of the Gospel, Christian Faith in 10 Words.
Fr. Matthew said the title and basic description came from a Vatican News article. “This is actually a collection of the Pope’s interventions and speeches.”
He noted that the article did not clearly state whether all the material came from Leo’s pontificate or included texts from before his election.
“The entire article is actually written by the pope himself,” he said, adding that one paragraph in particular stood out.
Quoting from the Pope’s own reflection on fraternity and harmony, Fr. Matthew read:
“Christians can and should be witnesses to this harmony of this fraternity, of this nearness. It’s today’s world, which is marked by many wars. This does not depend on our strength alone, but rather is a gift from above, a gift from that God who, with His Spirit, promised us that he would always be by our side, living beside us. We have therefore the Holy Spirit if we love the church. The church, home to different peoples, can be a sign, the sign that we are not condemned to live in perennial conflicts and can embody the dream of a reconciled, peaceful, and harmonious humanity. It is a dream that has a foundation, Jesus, his prayer to the Father for the unity of his own. And if Jesus prayed to the Father, then even more must we pray to him so that he may grant us the gift of a world at peace. And finally, from Christ and communion, peace which is not the fruit of the abuse of power or of violence and is not linked to hatred or vengeance.”
For Fr. Matthew, that passage captured the book’s likely focus.
“I think that’s one of the more salient points that he makes in this article,” he said. “It seems like that’s what the focus of this… this book is going to be, is trying to encourage people towards unity, towards communion, towards solidarity, you know, with one another.”
He linked the Pope’s words to ongoing wars and polarized rhetoric, both in the world and within the Church.
“When we see a lot of the conflicts that are taking place around the world and the wars, and just even the warring factions that we see within the church, how they’re constantly bickering with one another,” he said, “the pope, through his faith, and you can see, you know, his strong faith in God and the Holy Spirit, and the fact that either the one of the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit is peace, you know, being able to see beyond all of that and being able to see the possibility of all of us being reconciled.”
He pointed to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem as a biblical lens on papal concern.
“The fact that the church has been focusing on this message of peace, is the same message that Jesus preached in his own day,” he said. “He lamented over Jerusalem, who really didn’t know what it took to achieve peace, and he’s weeping over Jerusalem. And I can see the popes doing the same thing when they look over the entire world.”
Leo XIV backs U.S. bishops’ strong statement on migrants
The third segment turned to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ recent plenary assembly in Baltimore, where bishops voted “almost… unanimous” to issue a new statement on immigrants and migration, accompanied by a video.
Fr. Matthew said the video featured “several bishops” speaking directly about abuses reported by migrants.
“They were addressing their concerns about what they were hearing from their people, from people who were migrating here, the way that they were being treated, the abusive treatments, the mass deportations and things like that,” he said.
The written statement, he summarized, “was basically reaffirming the bishops’ commitment to accompanying the migrants and speaking against the evils that they’re hearing about, about the treatment of migrants, the abuse of migrants, the fact that they’re living in fear.”
Pope Leo XIV was asked about the statement by a journalist and publicly backed it.
“In this article from Vatican News, the Pope expressed appreciation for the Bishop’s statement, calling it very important,” Fr. Matthew said.
“He says, ‘I would like to invite all Catholics and also people of goodwill to listen carefully to what they have said. I believe we must always, we must seek ways of treating people with humanity, with the dignity that is theirs.’”
The Pope, he noted, balanced the right of states to regulate borders with the Church’s insistence on human dignity.
“‘If someone is in the United States illegally, there are ways to address this. There are courts, there’s a judicial system. I believe there are many problems in the system, but no one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has the right to determine who enters how and when,’” Fr. Matthew quoted.
At the same time, Leo criticized harsh enforcement against long-term residents.
“‘When people have lived good lives, many of them for 10, 20, 15, 20 years, treating them in a way that is, to say the least, extremely disrespectful and with instances of violence is troubling,’” he quoted. “‘The bishops have been very clear. I would simply invite all Americans to listen to them.’”
Fr. Matthew then returns to the teaching of the church.
“The church’s teaching on immigration concerns the right to migrate, but also the dignity of the human person,” he said. “And we always have to keep that primary.”
He contrasted that with arguments that start with state sovereignty.
“A lot of people think that the nation has the primary right to regulate and defend its borders. That’s not actually the primary consideration,” he said. “Primary consideration is every single person, regardless of where they come from, enjoys infinite dignity because that dignity has been given to them by God.”
“Then the second consideration is the protection of the nation, the regulation of borders,” he continued, “but that always has to take into consideration the first point.”
A third pillar, he said, is that “any regulations or any policies that are put into place have to be humane, and they have to be executed in a humane manner.”
“So Pope Leo really has presented this full teaching along with his support of the bishops,” he said. “So it’s good to see that really the pope and the bishops seem to be very much on the same page with this issue.”
Pope presses for climate action at COP30 in Brazil
The final major topic was Pope Leo’s recent intervention at COP30, the U.N. climate change conference held in Brazil, where he signaled continuity with Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’.
“There’s been a lot of debate about how closely Pope Leo XIV is following in line with Pope Francis and with the things that he really cared about,” Fr. Matthew said. “And we know that’s the issue of the environment, climate change, things like that. These were very important and very dear to the heart of Pope Francis.”
He said it had already become “very clear” that Leo intends to “continue to develop what Pope Francis has set out with with regard to this issue.”
Quoting from the Pope’s remarks, he highlighted a stark diagnosis:
“Creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms, and relentless heat. One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes.”
The Pope warned that “well, there is still time to keep the rise in global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius, the windows closing,” Fr. Matthew said.
“As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly with faith and prophecy to protect the gift he has entrusted to us,” he quoted.
Leo XIV pointed to the Paris Agreement as “our strongest tool for protecting people on the planet,” but insisted that the failure lies not in the text but in political inaction.
“‘It is not the agreement that is failing. It is our, we are failing in our response,’” Fr. Matthew quoted. “‘What is failing is the political will of some. True leadership means service and support at a scale that will make a difference. Stronger climate actions will create stronger and fairer economic systems. Strong climate actions and policies, both are an investment in a more just and stable world.’”
For Fr. Matthew, this is not “namby-pamby environmentalism.”
“The concern that Pope Leo is bringing up is not just about the environment itself,” he said. “It’s not just about this namby-pamby environmentalism where we go and hug trees and things like that.”
Instead, he stressed how environmental degradation hits the vulnerable first.
“The people that get affected the most are the poor, people who are in vulnerable situations and vulnerable areas,” he said. “We’ve seen this happen all throughout history… such as environmental problems with certain rivers that are getting polluted by upstream factories affecting the people downstream.”
“This is something that the pope realizes that needs to be addressed as part of the church’s program of reaching out to the poor, including Christ’s plan of salvation,” he said. “I think this is showing that Pope Leo is really very much continuing with the introductory that Pope Francis had set up.”
Prayer intention: prevention of suicide
De Souza reminded viewers that the Holy Father’s November 2025 prayer intention is “for the prevention of suicide.”
“We ask you to consider saying a prayer for us and a prayer for each other,” he added.
“Maybe pray for SmartCatholics in between your prayer for the Holy Father and your prayer for the intention of the month,” he said. “Well, we all need look out for each other.”
Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends!