October 30, 2013 - During Wednesday's General Audience, and ahead of the celebration of All Saints' Day, Pope Francis described the communion of saints as the spiritual fraternity between the saints. But he added this unity extends to Catholics today, which are all united to the Body of Christ. As a result of this communion, the Pope said, Catholics should support each other spiritually.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
In
our catechesis on the Creed, we now reflect on “the communion of
saints.” As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, this is a
communion “in holy things” and “among holy persons” (No. 948).
The
communion of saints is the deepest reality of the Church, because in
Christ, through Baptism, we are made sharers in the communion of life
and love which is the Blessed Trinity.
As
such, we are united to one another in the Body of Christ. Through this
fraternal communion we draw nearer to God and we are called to support
one another spiritually.
The
communion of saints does not only embrace the Church on earth; it also
embraces all who have died in Christ, the souls in purgatory and the
saints in heaven.
We experience this
solidarity between heaven and earth in our intercessory prayer and in
the feasts of All Saints and All Souls which we shall soon celebrate.
As
we rejoice in this great mystery, let us ask the Lord to draw us ever
closer to him and to all our brothers and sisters in the Church.
I greet all the
English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those
from England, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Philippines,
Vietnam and the United States.
Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!