Catholics hold that God permitted Mary, the mother of Jesus, to be taken up body and soul to heaven. This belief is commonly called the the Assumption of Mary.

On November 1, 1950, Pius XII declared to the entire Christian Church the following statement:

“…by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Munificentissimus Deus) 

Hence, the age old Christian tradition of the bodily Assumption of Mary was confirmed infallibly by the successor of St. Peter, head of the apostles.

Now let’s be clear — this date in 1950 did not mark the “invention” of the doctrine. Rather, Pope Pius XII saw a need to make it clear to the faithful what was the constant apostolic teaching and not a doctrine up for a debate. It was a re-affirmation of an antiquity-old doctrine.

But does Pope Pius XII and the rest of the Catholic faithful have reasonable grounds to proclaim such an event as true history? This is what this post is aiming to explore — whether there are any good reasons to believe that Mary was taken up into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life.

Read More The Assumption of Mary: Is It Reasonable To Believe?