Epilogue
Epilogue
S t. Thomas, one of the greatest Doctors of the Church, like any other doctors of his time, denied the Immaculate Conception of Mary which was then explained in a heretical way to the Christian faith, that Mary did not need a Saviour. Thomas was sure that Mary too needed a Saviour like any other individual. However he seems to have failed to connect the two ideas: Jesus as the Universal Saviour and the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Since the former was very clear in the light of the Scriptures, Thomas defended it at the cost of the latter. His ideas were further complicated by the Aristotelian concept of gradual Ensoulment.
Even then, it is very clear that he never denied the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, because it was not defined yet as a dogma until 1854. It was a matter of open discussion, without any sort of binding force. If it were a dogma, then Thomas would have, no doubt, defended it as a faithful Catholic at the service of the Church. However it is true that his objections led to serious discussions in the Church whereupon we have the dogma understood and explained in a far better way. And also, when the dogma was defined it upheld the position of Thomas that Mary too needed a Saviour.
Therefore, even though Thomas denied the Immaculate Conception of Mary, it was purely at the service of the Church in order to protect her teachings. At the same time, it will be absolutely incorrect to say that he denied the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, because it was not a dogma then.