Where is the equivalencing of Marian and Petrine principles in the Church leading?

Leo XIV on the Marian and Petrine Principles: Possible Opening?

Pope Leo XIV has interpreted a theological principle that had previously been interpreted to justify the exclusively male priesthood in the Catholic Church more openly than his predecessors. He spoke about this in a sermon on Monday in St. Peter's Basilica before approximately 4,000 Vatican employees, including hundreds of priests, bishops, and many cardinals.

He spoke about the "Marian" and "Petrine" principles in the Church. These terms were coined by the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988).

Cathcon: The discussion in von Balthasar is a projection of his unusual relationship with Adrienne von Speyr and has to be treated with quite a bit of caution along with his kenotic theology.

The idea is wide open to abuse by synodalists, as this article proves.   

This concerns the special role of Mary as Mother of the Church and the role of Peter and the exclusively male apostles as they are handed down in the Bible. Based on these very different roles, it has been argued, including by Leo's predecessor, Francis, that in the succession of Peter, only men can receive the ordained ministry, while the Church as a whole, like Mary, is "feminine" and "fruitful" in works of charity.

On this topic, the new Pope now elaborated: "The fruitfulness of the Church (...) is realized in the existence of its members to the extent that they (...) love as Jesus loved." He continued: "Indeed, this fruitfulness of Mary and the Church is inextricably linked to their holiness, that is, to their conformation to Christ." The Holy See lives "in the holiness of each of its members."

Holiness not only for priests

With regard to the men and women working in the Vatican, the Pope explained: "The best way to serve the Holy See is therefore to strive to be holy, each of us, according to our state of life and the task entrusted to us." This applies to priests as well as to fathers and mothers of families. Peter is "supported by Mary in his ministry." Likewise, Mother Church supports the ministry of Peter's successors with the Marian charism.

The Pope continued: "The Holy See experiences in a very special way the co-presence of the two principles, the Marian and the Petrine principles. And it is the Marian principle that guarantees the fruitfulness and holiness of the Petrine principle with its motherhood, a gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit."

Leo XIV did not explicitly state whether he maintains that the so-called Petrine principle should continue to be reserved exclusively for men. He left open the implications of the "co-presence" of both principles at the center of the Church.

Before the service on Monday morning, Pope Leo XIV led a Jubilee pilgrimage of several thousand Vatican employees through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. Prior to this, everyone had listened together to the Italian nun Maria Gloria Riva. She emphasized that the Church's hope lies neither in clinging to outdated traditions nor in illusory visions of the future.

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