Episode 328: Examining Catholic Mariology with Pastor Leonardo De Chirico - Part 2

The official teaching of the Catholic Church directs its parishioners to pray directly to Mary to intercede to Jesus on our behalf (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) paragraphs 2277-2279). The Church also teaches that Mary was herself immaculately conceived and preserved from every stain of sin common to the rest of humanity (see CCC 490-492). 

But are these doctrinal statements in keeping with a biblical portrait of Mary? We will explore these topics and others on part two of our discussion with Italian pastor, theologian, and author Leonardo De Chirico. 

Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009. He served as Vice Chairman of the Italian Evangelical Alliance from 2003-2021 and now serves as chairman for the theological commission of the IEA. Previously, Leonardo planted and pastored an evangelical church in Ferrara, Italy, from 1997 to 2009. He earned degrees in History (University of Bologna), Theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and Bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King's College (London); it was published as Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. In 2015, he published A Christian Pocket Guide to Papacy and A Christian Pocket Guide to Mary: Mother of God? through Christian Focus. He is a lecturer of Historical Theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. Additionally, Leonardo is the Director of the Reformanda Initiative, which aims to equip evangelical leaders to better understand and engage with Roman Catholicism, and the leader of the Rome Scholars & Leaders Network (RSLN).

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