In the "One True Church"<G> Mary is not deified, but being the "Mother Of God" she sits close at the right hand of God in heaven and has influence as an "Advocate". What this clearly shows is the influence of the fuedal (for lack of a better word) society upon religion. This "Royal" meme permeates *all* christian sects. Watch a little christian TV if you doubt me, it is repeated endlessly so that the meme is strongly reinforced. The upshot is that Heaven is basically a large royal court. This shows most strongly in older Catholic doctrine where "members of the court" may be prayed to (addressed is actually a more accurate description) to ask for intercession on someones behalf. Mary and the saints are not "worshiped" even though they are prayed too. Any claim to the contrary is to say that catholicism is multi-theistic. what would that then say about protestantism which sprang out of catholicism?
Saints are (or were) ordinary human beings whose actions made them stand out and become symbols to the church and believers. They are not just people to whom we adress our prayers; they have their stories which inspire us and guide us. Most catholics in Western countries have not studied cathechism, but they all know the stories of a few saints. I compare believe that the Saints to the paraboles: lessons to learn. I'd even go to say that they are the Church's history. In times when most people could not read, the story of a Saint's life was a precious and effective learning tool. Even today, it still is.
Jean-Louis
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