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St. Mary

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › St. Mary and the Saints › St. Mary

The question

What is our Church's view on the story of the apparition in Lourdes (of the Virgin Mary)?

The answer

Our Church has no official position on the apparition in Lourdes, as this event is within the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church. Apparitions of St. Mary have been reported in many parts of the world and there is no reason to doubt them. However, the concern our church would have regarding this apparition, is that Bernadette Soubirous, the young girl to whom St. Mary appeared, claims that our Lady the Theotokos identified herself as "the immaculate conception". This concept is part of the Roman Catholic Church belief but is totally rejected by our church. Immaculate Conception means being born without the original sin. We believe that St. Mary was born with the original sin otherwise why would she herself say, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46,47) why is she calling God her Savior if she was born without the original sin.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

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Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 615 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.