[Forest Keeper]

I find the belief in the sinlessness of St. John the Baptist entirely natural. I don't know why it is not dogmatic. Perhaps, because the parallel to the Ark of the Covenant, that is not to be touched by human hand, is absent in his case.

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean here. Jesus was touched by human hand.

FK: " ... this elevates John over Mary ..."

Not really, Jesus has prophets in view in that passage, and not His Mother.

Matt. 11:11 : "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Then why does He use the qualifier "born of women" if He does not mean all people? Which prophets were not born of women? In addition, Mary was born of a woman.

[annalex]

touched by human hand.

The analogy is between the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Word and Mary, who carried the Word in her womb. The Ark of the Covenant was not to bee seen, let alone touched, except by high priests. This is how the Old Testament foreshadows Mary's perpetual virginity. There is no similar parallel with John the Baptist, as there is nothing in the line of Hebrew prophets that indicates sinlessness.

born of women

Regardless of the epithet, the context and the thrust of Christ's speech there is to explain that John the Baptist is the greatest of prophets. Of course as a prophet he is greater than Mary, as she is no prophet at all. It is a different dimension of comparison altogether.