Vatican City: Jesus may have heard words of wisdom from his mother Mary, but she did not help him save the world from damnation, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

In a new decree approved by Pope Leo, the Vatican's top doctrinal office instructed the world's 1.4 billion Catholics not to refer to Mary as the \"co-redeemer\" of the world.

Jesus alone saved the world, said the new instruction, settling an internal debate that had befuddled senior Church figures for decades, and even sparked rare open disagreement among recent popes.

\"It would not be appropriate to use the title 'co-redemptrix',\" said the text. \"This title ... (can) create confusion and an imbalance in the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith.\"

Catholics believe Jesus redeemed humanity by his crucifixion and death.

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