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The Assumption of Mary

Assumption of the Virgin by Antoine Sallaert (1585–1650) ©

Roman Catholics believe the doctrine of the Assumption, which teaches that at the end of her life, Mary, the mother of Christ, was taken body and soul (i.e. both physically and spiritually) into heaven to live with her son (Jesus Christ) for ever.

Human beings have to wait until the end of time for their bodily resurrection, but Mary's body was able to go straight to heaven because her soul hadn't been tainted by original sin.

Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15th each year. Eastern Orthodox Christians, following the Julian calendar, mark the event as the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or the Dormition of the the Most Holy Mother of God on 28th August.

Catholic and Protestant views

Divergent approaches

This is an ancient teaching, first found in the 5th century, but it remains controversial to Protestants because it is not explicitly referred to in the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church bases the doctrine on other valid authority.

A report in 2005 by Anglican and Roman Catholic theologians found common ground (but not common authority) for belief in the Assumption:

Catholic doctrine

Doctrine first proclaimed

The doctrine of the Assumption was proclaimed as infallible by Pope Pius XII on All Saints Day 1950 in the bull (formal proclamation) Munificentissimus Deus.

This made it an important article of faith for Roman Catholics.

This was only the second time that a Pope had proclaimed a doctrine to be infallible. The first was the Immaculate Conception, another doctrine that concerns Mary.

The Pope justified the Assumption not on Biblical authority but largely on:

• the "universal consensus of the Church"
• the theological "suitability" of the doctrine

Universal consensus of the Church

The "universal consensus of the Church" means that what the Church as a whole teaches and believes must be treated as a revealed and thus indisputable truth.

The Church can only reach such a consensus through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit cannot be wrong.

This doesn't mean that Church doctrine cannot change - theologians use the idea of dogmatic progression, by which human ideas, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, slowly develop towards the real truth.

Once the real truth is established, the "universal consensus" of the Church then confirms it as an eternal truth.

Before proclaiming the doctrine Pope Pius XII made sure that there was really was a consensus in the Church. In 1946 he wrote to all the Roman Catholic bishops to ask them a) whether they thought the Assumption should become Catholic dogma, and b) whether the priests and the laity agreed with them. 99% of the bishops said yes.

Theological suitability

The other main argument for the Assumption was that it fitted well with other Catholic teaching, and would reinforce believers' faith that they too would eventually go to heaven.

The Assumption was also clearly in harmony with other Catholic ideas about Mary:

• Her immaculate conception
• Her perpetual virginity
• Being the mother of God

Theologians argued that the Mother of God could not be separated from God, and so must have been taken up to be with him in heaven.

Find out more

• Virgin Mary
• Immaculate Conception
• Original sin
• Roman Catholic Church