In this series of articles, I will address claims from 7th Day Adventist speakers, writers, and leaders about the Catholic Church. Also, I will address certain claims the Adventist community makes about the Bible, and its teachings in general.
Today I will address one claim made from prominent SDA (Seventh Day Adventist) publication “Amazing Facts” from a 2013 Article written by Doug Batchelor: https://www.amazingfacts.org/news-events/af-blog/the-pope-and-prophecy/
“Sole Mediator”
Claim: “The Bible says that Jesus is the only mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5). The Roman Catholic Church says Mary is co-mediator with Christ.”
Response: 1 Timothy 2:5: “5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus” It is important to note the context of this verse, so we can better understand what Paul is communicating to Timothy and the Church. “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.“
We can be clear then, that based on the context of 1 Timothy 2:5, we can be assured that praying and “interceding” for other people is good and cannot be anti-Christ. Keep this in mind as we continue to respond to this claim.
This is the official teaching of the Catholic Church on Mediation. CCC 480 “Jesus Christ is true God and true man, in the unity of his divine person; for this reason he is the one and only mediator between God and men.” – The accusation Doug makes here is that the Catholic teaches that Jesus indeed is not the sole mediator between God and men. We see clearly in the official teaching of the church, that this claim is false.
From the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s 2025 document Mater Populi Fidelis, which deals specifically with this topic of “Marian devotion” and aims to correct confusion on titles which are used describing Mary, the Mother of Jesus: “The present Note responds to numerous requests and proposals that have reached the Holy See in recent decades, and particularly this Dicastery, regarding questions pertaining to Marian devotion and certain Marian titles. These are questions that have concerned recent Popes and have been repeatedly addressed in the last thirty years in various areas of study within the Dicastery, such as Congresses and Ordinary Assemblies….While clarifying in what sense certain titles and expressions referring to Mary are acceptable or not, this text also aims to deepen the proper foundations of Marian devotion by specifying Mary’s place in her relationship with believers in light of the Mystery of Christ as the sole Mediator and Redeemer…The present document, without intending to be comprehensive or exhaustive, seeks to maintain the necessary balance that must be established within the Christian mysteries between Christ’s sole mediation and Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation, and it seeks to show how this is expressed in various Marian titles.”
The document referenced above gets deep into the history of the title, how it has been used, and when it first appeared. I would highly advise those who want to truly understand the Catholic perspective, to read the document in its entirety. “In the Feria IV meeting on 21 February 1996, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was the Prefect of the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was asked whether the request from the movement Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici to define a dogma declaring Mary as the “Co-redemptrix” or “Mediatrix of All Graces” was acceptable. In his personal votum, he replied: “Negative..it is not clear how the doctrine expressed in these titles is present in Scripture and the apostolic tradition...Later, in 2002, he publicly voiced his opinion against the use of the title: “the formula ‘Co-redemptrix’ departs to too great an extent from the language of Scripture..The then Cardinal Ratzinger referred to the Letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians, where the vocabulary and the theological dynamism of the hymns present the unique redemptive centrality of the incarnate Son in such a way as to leave no room to add any other form of mediation — for, “every spiritual blessing” is bestowed upon us “in Christ“
It seems very clear then, that the church today teaches that indeed Christ is our Sole Mediator, and the title of “Co-Mediatrix” should be avoided. The Second Vatican Council too, addresses this issue.
Lumen Gentium No.60 Year 1964: “53. The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son…(287) Thus Mary, a daughter of Adam, consenting to the divine Word, became the mother of Jesus, the one and only Mediator…60. There is but one Mediator as we know from the words of the apostle, “for there is one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all”.(298) The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power.”
To repeat: the Church has consistently taught at least since 1964, that Jesus is the sole mediator, and that Mary in fact is subordinate to Him, and saved by Him. The term “Co-Mediator” has never been declared a dogmatic title of Mary, and in fact, has been most recently, discouraged from use. The claim that the Church teaches Mary is “Co-Mediator”, simply is false.
So then where does the title come from?
The 2010 edition of the New Catholic Encyclopedia states that the title “Co-Redemptrix” first appeared in Catholic literature toward the end of the fourteenth century. The title has been used at various times in the intervening centuries, including by the Holy See in the 20th century. The encyclopedia says the origin of the title “Mediatrix of all graces” is “rather obscure” but dates back to 8th-century saints “and was applied to Our Lady with ever-increasing frequency until it became generally accepted in the seventeenth century..” Neither title is ancient. “Co-Redemptrix” emerged in the late medieval period — roughly the 14th century — and “Mediatrix of all graces” solidified gradually, becoming widely accepted by the 17th century. The teaching of Mary’s cooperation in the redemption is closely related to the teaching that, with, through, and under her Son, she cooperates in the sanctifying process of those she intercedes for. The key phrase here is critical: with, through, and under — always subordinate, never independent.
To repeat again, in case the reader has not yet understood: The church has already, officially, declared titles like “Mediatrix of all graces”, “Co-redemptrix,” and “Co-mediator” are not accurate, cause confusion, and are generally discouraged from use. The document warned that “when we strive to attribute active roles to her that are parallel to those of Christ, we move away from the incomparable beauty that is uniquely hers.”
I can already hear responses: But you pray to Mary! – My response will sound hollow to an Adventist given their stance on the “state of the dead”, but I will provide it anyway: You ask your family and friends to pray for you. That’s all Catholics are doing when we “pray” to her. I am well aware the response will be “SHES DEAD! She can’t hear you!”. Well perhaps it’s time then for me to write an article focused on Jesus own words. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Conclusion
- The Church unambiguously affirms Christ as the sole Mediator — this is in Scripture (1 Tim 2:5), Lumen Gentium (LG 60), and the 2025 DDF document Mater Populi Fidelis, all of which are clear.
- “Co-Mediatrix” is not Church dogma. It is a devotional and theological title that developed in the late medieval period, used by some popes in non-definitive documents, but never formally defined — and now actively discouraged by the Decastery under Pope Leo XIV.
- The Church’s actual position on Mary’s role is that she cooperates in the economy of grace in a manner that is entirely dependent on, derivative of, and subordinate to Christ’s sole mediation — functioning more like intercessor than co-mediator in the independent sense the critic implies.
- The claims framing is a straw man: the Church does not teach that Mary is a co-equal or independent mediator alongside Christ. That position is explicitly condemned by the very documents that use the word mediatrix.
If you would like to get more information on the doctrine and teaching surrounding Mary, you can find other blog posts of mine on the topic: https://baqash.org/2026/04/11/mary-ever-virgin/ — https://baqash.org/2024/03/05/mary-the-perpetual-virgin-and-mother-of-god/
Baqash : To Seek 
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