Portal:Saints/Intro

A saint (from the Latin sanctus) in Christianity is a human being who has answered the call to holiness. The term is used differently by various denominations. In high-church contexts, such as Roman Catholicism or Anglo-Catholicism, a Saint is generally one to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated) a high level of holiness and sanctity. In this use, a saint is therefore not simply a believer, but one who has been unusually transformed. On the other hand, many denominations, notably in Protestantism, emphasise the traditional New Testament meaning of the word, preferring to write saint (lower case) to refer to any believer, in continuity with the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Several denominations venerate the dead saints, while others vehemently reject this. Some make a distinction between a "Romish" and a "Patristic" doctrine concerning the invocation of saints, permitting the latter.

The use of the term saint is not exclusive to Christianity. In most religious cultures, there are people who have been recognised within that culture as having fulfilled the highest aspirations of religious teaching. In English, the term saint is often used to translate this idea from many world religions.