"We firmly believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instant of her conception was, by a unique grace and privilege of the Almighty God in view of the merits of Jesus Christ the Savior of human race, preserved exempt from all stain of original sin."
This dogma, based on the Bible and the Tradition of the Church, was solemnly defined by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854, during the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, by the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus. The incompatibility between Mary and Satan, which was anticipated in the Book of Genesis-
"I will put enmity between you and the woman." (Genesis 3:15)-was confirmed by Saint Gabriel the Archangel at the Annunciation. He said: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (St. Luke 1:42).
It was reaffirmed by the salutation of her kinswoman, Elizabeth: "Blessed are you among women." (St. Luke 1:42).
In the Middle Ages, the Immaculate Conception of Mary was at the center of a theological debate. The Dominicans and other illustrious theologians like Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Saint Thomas Aquinas were of the opinion that Mary was conceived with the original sin. Their view was opposed by the Franciscans, like Duns Scoto, who maintained that the Mother of Jesus could not have been stained by any sin.
The discussion was closed by Pope Pius IX in 1854, when he declared that the universal redemption of Jesus was anticipated for Mary at the moment of her conception in view of her divine motherhood. The dogmatic definition received heavenly endorsement during the apparitions at Lourdes in 1858. When Saint Bernadette Soubirous asked the name of the Lady, the Lady answered: "I am the Immaculate Conception."
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