Benedict XVI – *Sacramentum Caritatis* and *Caritas in Veritate*: Mary, the Eucharistic Woman and Mother of Charity

Benedict XVI’s Teachings on Mary: Two Missing Pieces

Pope Benedict XVI published three monumental encyclicals – Deus Caritas Est (2005), Spe Salvi (2007), and Caritas in Veritate (2009) – and two post-synodal exhortations – Sacramentum Caritatis (2007) and Verbum Domini (2010). In all of them, Mary occupies a concluding position. This synthesis examines the two missing ones: Sacramentum Caritatis §33 and the conclusion of Caritas in Veritate.

Sacramentum Caritatis §33 – Maria, Woman Eucharistic

The Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis is the outcome of the 11th General Assembly of Bishops (2005) on the Eucharist. Section 33, dedicated to Mary, picks up and develops what John Paul II had termed “Maria, woman eucharistic” in his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003; see related post):> “If Mary was the fountain of the Incarnate Word, she is also the fountain of the Eucharist of the Incarnate Word. In the sacrament of the Eucharist, we witness the same Word of God made human, which was received into the womb of Mary. Therefore, Mary is ‘Mother of the Eucharist’ in the same way that she is Mother of Christ, body and blood.”

Caritas in Veritate (2009) – Marian Conclusion

In his social encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Benedict XVI concludes with one of the most beautiful Marian statements from recent Church teaching:> “We especially invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that she may inspire love in truth in the hearts of those who work for the good of humanity. Mary, who responded ‘yes’ to her people with ‘be it done unto me according to your word,’ be the source and model of a culture of life among nations striving for fraternal peace and justice.”

Mary in Social Encyclicals

Mary’s presence in Benedict XVI’s social encyclicals highlights her role as a model for promoting human dignity, justice, and peace. Her “yes” to God’s will, expressed through the Magnificat, becomes a template for the Church’s social mission, emphasizing love in truth as the foundation of a just society.

The presence of Mary in Benedict XVI’s social encyclical confirms a tradition initiated by John XXIII in Mater et Magistra (1961, see post): every social encyclical concludes with Mary. This tradition expresses the theological conviction that there is no social issue without Mary, because Mary is the first “evangelical poor” (Magnificat: “exalted the humble”), the par excellence sign of God’s concern for the little ones.

Synthesis of Benedict XVI’s Mariology

Benedict XVI’s mariology has five main axes:

1. Mary, Mother of Mercy (DCE)
2. Mary, Star of Hope (SS)
3. Mary, Eucharistic Woman (Sacramentum Caritatis)
4. Mary, Mother of Charity (Caritas in Veritate)
5. Mary, Word’s Mother (Verbum Domini)

Complementary Reading

Mariology | Deus Caritas Est | Spe Salvi | Ecclesia de Eucharistia