One of the more noticeable differences between Christianity and Roman Catholicism is that, whereas Christianity utterly forbids necromancy, Roman Catholicism sees it as an entirely acceptable, even necessary practice to communicate with the dead in Christ. This, they argue, is not actually necromancy (the sin of communicating with the dead), as the Saints are not actually dead. In so doing, they nullify the word of God in order to keep their tradition (Matthew 15:3-6; Mark 7:8-13). However, the saints, even according to Scripture, are, in fact, dead.
Far worse is the heavy emphasis Roman Catholicism places on Mary, not only teaching its followers to pray to her, but even to rely on her as co-mediatrix with Christ. Roman Catholicism, in fact, takes a large number of glories unique to Christ and attributes them to Mary, with Pope Pius IX even spitting out the following blasphemy:
"All our hope do we repose in the most Blessed Virgin -- in the all fair and immaculate one who has crushed the poisonous head of the most cruel serpent and brought salvation to the world: in her who is the glory of the prophets and apostles, the honor of the martyrs, the crown and joy of all the saints; in her who is the safest refuge and the most trustworthy helper of all who are in danger; in her who, with her only-begotten Son, is the most powerful Mediatrix and Conciliatrix in the whole world; in her who is the most excellent glory, ornament, and impregnable stronghold of the holy Church; in her who has destroyed all heresies and snatched the faithful people and nations from all kinds of direst calamities; in her do we hope who has delivered us from so many threatening dangers." (1).
In many ways, which would equal the length of an entire Biblical book, the Holy Scriptures refute Mary's role in salvation as it is found in the Roman Catholic Church. And, sadly, for those who are taken in by this evil, there is tragic news. In Galatians 1:8, Paul tells us plainly "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
No human being, be they priest, be they bishop, be they Cardinal, be they Pope, be they Apostle, even be they an angel, has the Biblical right to preach any Gospel other than the one found in Holy Scripture. And what is that Gospel? That we must be saved by the name of Jesus Christ alone, for there is, as we find in Acts 4:12, no other name by which we must be saved. Salvation is found in no one else, for as Scripture also tells us in 1 Timothy 2:5, there is one mediator between God and man. Who? Mary? No! For Mary plays such a small role in our salvation that the word of God barely mentions her. Our one mediator is no other than Christ Himself.
What this means is that when Roman Catholics cast their hope upon Mary as co-mediator, another name by which they must be saved, they are teaching another gospel, and therefore, as Paul tells us, we are to consider them accursed. Anathema. Doomed, save for repentance, to everlasting Hellfire, their idolatry (and other sins) being counted against them forever.
But there are two caveats, the first of course being repentance. Just as with all sinners, even blasphemers and idolators, a Roman Catholic can turn from his or her sin and be saved in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is no condemnation, no one can even lay a charge, against those who are in Jesus (Romans 8:1, 33). Thus, those in the Roman Catholic faith may be saved by coming out of it.
But the second caveat is the simplicity of the Gospel itself. As Alistair Begg so eloquently said, regarding the Penitent Thief, "That’s what the angel must have said—you know, like, “What are you doing here?” “Well, I don’t know.” “What do you mean, you don’t know?” “Well, ’cause I don’t know.” “Well, you know… Excuse me. Let me get my supervisor.” They go get the supervisor angel: “So, we’ve just a few questions for you. First of all, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith?” The guy says, “I’ve never heard of it in my life.” “And what about… Let’s just go to the doctrine of Scripture immediately.” This guy’s just staring. And eventually, in frustration, he says, “On what basis are you here?” And he said, “The man on the middle cross said I can come.”" (2).
And the Gospel really is that simple. You appeal to that man on the middle cross, you say to Him "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom". (Luke 23:42). You say "LORD, have mercy on me, a sinner." (Luke 18:9-14). As the Apostles put it, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:31). And do Roman Catholics do that? You bet your rosaries they do!
So we have a conflict here. On the one hand, you have many Catholics who pray to Mary, genuinely believing they must know and love her to be saved. But if you ask the vast majority of Catholics what they think about Mary, you won't get such excessive blasphemies. You will receive some very strange answers. Answers which are theologically incoherent. Answers which are so detestable, a Roman Catholic may well be hesitant to give them, knowing how they sound to outside ears. But we are not saved by perfect theology.
Suppose such a Roman Catholic dies with their Roman Catholic faith intact. They attended their Mass, they carved their little figures, they played with their beads as they cried aloud "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners...", but they still confessed the risen Lord Jesus as their Savior. I will leave it to the Lord to decide whether such people belong in His Kingdom. All I know is that if He opens the gates to let them in, they will be Catholic no longer.
So they survived the judgement, their sins imputed to Christ, their substitute. And they walk up to Mary, excited to meet this woman who held such a special place in their heart for all their Earthly lives. "Hi! It's so great to finally meet you!", they announce. Mary, likely used to this by now, smiles politely. "Hi," she replies, "who are you?"
Because of Mary's "insignificant" role in salvation, this will mean nothing for the Roman Catholic. Mary has no impact on who does or doesn't get to Heaven. Rather, her will now being perfectly aligned with the Lord's, whoever He welcomes, she welcomes, and whoever He condemns, she condemns. Mary has no authority over anyone's place in the Kingdom. Thus, she can say, even to a Roman Catholic who prayed to her on a daily basis, "I never knew you", and the greatest harm a Catholic will receive is a decapitated pride.
But when the Lord says these words, you can be sure it's bad news. "And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" (Matthew 7:23). Mary shares no such authority. Just as Christ alone can save a man from Hell, Christ alone can send him there. All authority in Heaven and Earth belongs to Him (Matthew 28:18), and to Him alone. Why, then, should we place such a heavy emphasis on a dead woman, with whom Scripture forbids communication, who plays no greater role in our salvation than being the physical vessel through whom God chose to send His Son, and who in all likelihood cannot even hear shout nor whisper from our lips? Can we not treat her as a beloved sister, who we will one day have fellowship with in Heaven, but for now stands outside of our reach? Let the people seek our God! As Isaiah says, those who do not speak according to this word, there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:19-20).
This clearly shows that communicating with the saints is, at the very least, indicative of perdition. If we know the followers of Christ by their fruits, seeking the saints' intercession is mildew. Thus, Roman Catholics should repent, and seek Christ alone, guaranteeing their place in Heaven, and ensuring that when they finally meet Mary, the encounter is a pleasant one.
References
1. Ineffabilis Deus Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius IX on the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 1854) (link)
2. Begg, Alistair - “The Man on the Middle Cross Said I Can Come”, Truth For Life blog, June 28th 2022 (link)