Renato Taib Oliveros (“A Catholic-Muslim Mariology”) presents various points of similarities between Muslim and Catholic veneration of Mary, e.g., both regard her as pure, i.e., sinless and undefiled (immaculata); both depict her life to be fully devoted to the service of God; both regard the conception of her child Jesus to be miraculous, caused not by human agency but by the Spirit sent by God; both honor her above all women because she is the mother of the Messiah. Thus, there is a common ground on which to build a Catholic-Muslim Mariology. However, Oliveros points out the crucial difference between the two. Catholics go further than Muslims in linking the veneration of Mary to their faith in Jesus Christ as Son of God. Mary is not only the mother of the Messiah but also the mother of God (Θεοτόκος). – F. Ramirez (ed.)