Pope pays tribute to the saints ‘next door’

November 02, 2015

In his Angelus address for the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Francis reflected on the day’s readings and said that the saints are “persons who belong totally to God.”

The Pope said that the seal mentioned in the seventh chapter of the Book of Revelation evoked the seal of baptism, in which people become children of God and receive a vocation to holiness.

Saints are also “examples to imitate.” and paying tribute to non-canonized saints, the Pope said, “How many good people have we met in our lives; how often do we exclaim: ‘this person is a saint!’ … These are the saints who live next door, not the ones who are canonized, but the ones who live with us.”

The Pope called upon the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square to imitate their gestures of love and mercy-- “tenderness, generosity, and time spent listening, a visit, a kind word, a smile”-- for such gestures endure into eternity and thus are “stronger than death.” 

 

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Further information:

• Angelus Domini 2015.11.01 (Vatican YouTube)
• Le parole del Papa alla recita dell’Angelus (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope Francis: there are many saints to be found in everyday life (Vatican Radio)