Sinlessness of Mary

A fresco of The Marriage of the Virgin

The sinlessness of Mary refers to the doctrine in which Mary, Mother of God chose not to sin. It is upheld by the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, as well as by high church Lutherans.

According to the Roman Catholic Church, she had no stain of sin: nor the original sin by means of the Immaculate Conception's dogma nor personal sins.

Quotes about

• The Word of the Father came forth from His Bosom, and in another bosom he put on a body. From a Bosom He came forth to a bosom. These pure Bosoms were filled with Him. Blessed is He who dwells in us.

• Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Hymn of the Resurrection of Christ, 7 (Lamy, T.J., Sancti Ephraem Syri hymni et sermones, 4 vols., Merchlin, 1882-1892: 2, 743; tr. Livius, Thomas, The Blessed Virgin in the Fathers of the First Six Centuries, London, 1893, p. 435). As reported in Father Paul Palmer, SJ, Mary in the Documents of the Church, p. 22 (of 129), Lowe and Brydone (printers) Ltd, London L.W. 10, for Burns Oates and Washbourne Ltd, 28 Ashley Place, London, S.W.I. (with nihil obstat by E.A Cerny, S.S, D.D., and imprimatur by Franciscus P. Keough, D.D., Archbishop of Baltimore, given on 23 November 1951). OCLC 3286267.

• Now with the exception of the holy Virgin Mary in regard to whom, out of respect for the Lord, I do not propose to have a single question raised on the subject of sin-after all, how do we know what greater degree of grace for a complet victory over sins was conferred on her who merited to conceive and bring forth Him who all admit was without sin-to repeat then: with the exception of this Virgin, if we could bring together into one place all those holy men and women, while they lived here, and ask them whether they were without sin, what are we to suppose that they would have replied? Would it be the reply of this man (Pelagius) or that of John the Apostle? I ask you. No matter how they excelled in holiness during her their stay in this body, if they could have been asked, they would have exlaimed with one voice: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.".

• Saint Augustine of Hippo, On Nature and Grace, 36 [42] (CSEL, Vienna Academy; Vienna 1866 ff.: 60, 263-264). As reported in Father Paul Palmer, SJ, Mary in the Documents of the Church, pp. 33-34 (of 129), Lowe and Brydone (printers) Ltd, London L.W. 10, for Burns Oates and Washbourne Ltd, 28 Ashley Place, London, S.W.I. (with nihil obstat by E.A Cerny, S.S, D.D., and imprimatur by Franciscus P. Keough, D.D., Archbishop of Baltimore, given on 23 November 1951). OCLC 3286267.