what a joke.

I don't get Catholics...

Catholics are all evil, they are always working on popish plots to undermine socialism and all that there stuff. . .

I was thinking more along the lines of religious hierarchy lol. Saints are pretty much the direct exstention of Pagan gods during the Roman empire. God of travel, god of fertility etc.

God of poutine? Cheese be with you and may your daily gravy be warm.

Actually it's more about the Catholic Cult of Relics, which itself dates back to early Western Christianity. It's what empowered the pilgrim movement that later became called the crusades. It's how the Franks won against all odds in Antioch. It's deeply rooted in the catholic psyche, the belief that relics (even brains, hearts and such) endow their keepers with this closeness to God (because those Saints were closer to God by their very piousness, than most normal layman could ever hope to be in their lifetime). This also led to the belief that relics like that enabled Patrons (i.e. Saint-George) to come to protect & assist the faithful in their times of trial/testing by God.

A lot about the Crusades (especially the first one) had to do with taking back control over places and things which were considered endowed with holy spiritual power by the Early Western Christians. After the mind-boggling successes brought forward by the Salian Franks in the Holy land, many relics were brought back by the crusaders all over Europe, to empower many of the newly constructed Shrines, Monasteries, Churches and such.

People who lead pious lives have demonstrated their strength of faith/character, and many well informed Catholics believe that some of that strength survives them, in those relics, and in those sacred places.

Funny thing is that a friend of mine is a blood relative of Frere Andre lol