Catholic World News News Feature

All are called to be saints, Pope reminds audience November 02, 2007

At a public audience on November 1, the feast of All Saints, Pope Benedict XVI reminded the faithful that "holiness is the responsibility of every Christian."

The Holy Father marked the holy day by meeting with the public at midday in St. Peter's Square. He reminded his audience that St. Paul had referred to the early Christians as "saints," and added that anyone baptized into the life of Christ is in that sense holy. "All human beings are called to holiness," the Pope insisted.

Pope Benedict went on to observe that "the Church has wisely placed the feast of All Saints and the commemoration of the faithful departed [the feast of All Souls] in close succession" on the liturgical calendar. These closely related feasts, he said, encourage all Catholics to pray for the deceased. All living Christians, the Pope said, are partners with "those who have gone before us," in the company of Christians. He encouraged his audience to consider the description of the faithful in the Book of Revelation as "a great multitude that no one could count."