As a priest told a person with the same doubts as you. The Pope and Mary would never want to be the reason you walked away from Jesus.
That’s right which is why what we (Catholics) are required to believe about them is pretty simple.
The Pope’s function flows from common sense more than anything. If a doctrine is confused or debated and this debate causes dissension and division then he speaks up on the matter and is protected by the Holy Spirit when doing so. Protected from teaching error in faith and morals. Not economics not politics faith and morals. It’s pretty simple and common sensical.
Mary was assumed bodily into heaven. There’s nothing in Scripture that says this can’t be done and indeed, what’s so toxic or harmful about believing that about Mary? It’s horrendous that her son would love her so much that he took her up to heave to be with him bodily? That’s a horrible thing to believe? That’s “deifying Mary”, and not just believing it’s an act of supreme love and gratitude on behalf of a son to his mother? It’s crazy it’s crazy to believe that’s anything else other than that. And a message of hope for us that we too will be raised up on the last day, to be again reunited with our bodies in paradise for eternity. It’s a dogma that demonstrates the love and promise of God for ALL of us.
That’s all we are required to believe that’s “more” than your average Christian. We are even allowed to disagree with the Pope when he doesn’t speak ex cathedra. And the so called “blasphemous” titles of Mary so many get in a tither about are not themselves dogmatic. The only one that is is the “Theotokos” or “God-bearer”, which is a pretty accurate description for Mary, unless one doesn’t believe Jesus is God! So many get hung up on the title “Mother of God” as if any mother at all actually creates the soul inside her.
No! All mothers including Mary *bear* the souls inside them, they don’t create them. So just as it’s not blasphemous to call my mother “the mother of 47”, it’s not blasphemous to say Mary was and is the “mother of God” because she didn’t create God she BORE him.
It’s amazing to me that it almost seems as if many LOOK for reasons to disagree with the Catholic Church. The Church’s teachings are quite reasonable, if one is willing to listen with an open heart. A heart willing to admit it may be wrong on occasion.