The Roman Catholic doctrine which says that Mary was immaculately conceived (that is, free of the stain of original sin) in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. Many Christians (even most Roman Catholics) misunderstand this doctrine, thinking it has to do with the conception of Jesus. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the conception of Jesus or belief in the virgin birth of Jesus. The doctrine says that God, knowing Mary would be the mother of the Savior, preemptively applied the saving grace of the suffering and death of Christ to Mary at the moment of her conception in the womb of St. Anne, thus preserving Mary from original sin and allowing her to be a pure and spotless vessel for his Son. There is no Biblical basis for this doctrine. The Bible doesn’t even mention St. Anne. The dogma was proclaimed in the middle of the nineteenth century at the first Vatican council. The heavy-handed way this happened, along with the proclamation of the infallibility of the Pope, led many catholic bishops to break with Rome and form the Old Catholic Church.