Editing Intercession of saints (section)

{{Short description|Catholic doctrine}}
[[File:Saint Augustine Portrait.jpg|thumb|"As we celebrate with our festive gatherings the birthday of this great man, the Lord's forerunner, the [[John the Baptist|blessed John]], let us ask for the help of his prayers. Because he is the friend of the bridegroom you see, he can also obtain for us that we can belong to the bridegroom, that we may be thought worthy to obtain his grace." – [[St. Augustine]]<ref>''On the Birthday of Saint John the Baptist'', Sermon 293B:5:1. "Against superstitious midsummer rituals."  ''Augustine's Works, Sermons on the Saints'', (1994), Sermons 273–305, John E. Rotelle, ed., Edmund Hill, Trans., {{ISBN|1-56548-060-0}} {{ISBN|978-1-56548-060-5}} p. 165. [https://books.google.com/books?id=13HYAAAAMAAJ&q=%22So+then+as+we+celebrate+with+our+festive+gatherings+the+birthday+of+this+great+man%22] Editor's comment (ibid., note 16, p. 167): "So does ‘his grace' mean John's grace? Clearly not in the ordinary understanding of such a phrase, as though John were the source of the grace. But in the sense that John's grace is the grace of being the friend of the bridegroom, and that that is the grace we are asking him to obtain for us too, yes, it does mean John's grace."[https://books.google.com/books?id=5jswAAAAYAAJ&q=%22So+does+%E2%80%98his+grace%E2%80%99+mean+John%E2%80%99s+grace%22]</ref> ]]

The '''intercession of saints''' is a Catholic [[doctrine]] that maintains that saints can [[intercession|intercede]] for others. To intercede is to go or come between two parties, to plead before one of them on behalf of the other. In ecclesiastical usage both words are taken in the sense of the intervention primarily of Christ, and secondarily of the [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Blessed Virgin]] and the [[angel]]s and [[saint]]s, on behalf of men.<ref>{{cite book |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Intercession |publisher=New Advent |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08070a.htm |access-date=6 November 2023}}</ref> The doctrine is held by the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], [[Eastern Orthodox|Eastern Orthodox Churches]], the [[Assyrian Church of the East]], the [[Oriental Orthodox churches]], and some [[Lutheran]]s and [[Anglican]]s (chiefly those of [[Evangelical Catholic]] or [[Anglo-Catholicism|Anglo-Catholic]] churchmanship, respectively).<ref name="ECCL2007"/> The practice of asking saints for their intercession can be found in Catholic writings from the 3rd century onwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/invocationofsaints.aspx|title=On the Intercession and Invocation of the Saints|work=orthodoxinfo.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic.com/library/Intercession_of_the_Saints.asp |title=The Intercession of the Saints |access-date=2009-09-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619002648/http://www.catholic.com/library/Intercession_of_the_Saints.asp |archive-date=2009-06-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.assyrianchurch.org/why-do-we-pray-for-the-intersession-of-saints/|title=Why do we pray for the intersession of Saints?|work=news.assyrianchurch.org}}</ref>

The 4th-century [[Apostles' Creed]] states belief in the [[communion of saints]], which certain churches interpret as supporting the intercession of saints. However, similar practices are controversial in [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], and [[Protestantism]].