1. Our catechesis on God, creator of the world, cannot conclude without devoting adequate attention to a specific content of divine revelation: the creation of purely spiritual beings, which Sacred Scripture calls 'angels'. This creation appears clearly in the Symbols of Faith, particularly in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible." We know that man enjoys a unique position within creation: thanks to his body, he belongs to the visible world, while his spiritual soul, which gives life to his body, places him almost on the border between the visible and invisible creation. According to the Creed professed by the Church in the light of revelation, the latter includes other beings, purely spiritual, not belonging to the visible world, even though they are present and active in it. They constitute a specific world.

2. Today, as in times past, there is much discussion, with varying degrees of wisdom, about these spiritual beings. It must be acknowledged that there is sometimes great confusion, with the consequent risk of passing off as Church teaching on angels what does not belong to the faith, or, conversely, of omitting some important aspect of revealed truth. The existence of spiritual beings, whom Sacred Scripture usually calls 'angels', was already denied in Christ's time by the Sadducees (cf. Acts 23:8). Materialists and rationalists of all ages also deny it. Yet, as a modern theologian astutely observes, "if one wanted to get rid of angels, one would have to radically revise Sacred Scripture itself, and with it the whole history of salvation" (A. Winklhofer, Die Welt der Engel, Ettal 1961, p. 144, note 2; in Mysterium Salutis, II, 2, p. 726).. The whole Tradition is unanimous on this question. The Creed of the Church is basically an echo of what Paul writes to the Colossians: "For through him (Christ) all things were created, those in heaven and those on earth, the visible and the invisible: Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, all things were created through him and for him" (Col 1:16). That is, Christ, who as the eternal Son-Word and consubstantial with the Father is "begotten before all creatures" (Col 1:15), is at the centre of the universe, as the reason and cornerstone of all creation, as we have already seen in previous catechesis and as we will see again when we speak more directly about him.

3. The reference to the “primacy” of Christ helps us to understand that the truth about the existence and work of angels (good and evil) is not the central content of God’s word. In revelation, God speaks first of all "to men . . . and converses with them, inviting them and admitting them to communion with himself," as we read in the Second Vatican Council's constitution Dei Verbum (Dei Verbum, 2). Thus, 'the profound truth . . . both of God and of the salvation of men' is the central content of revelation, which 'shines forth' most fully in the person of Christ. The truth about angels is in a sense "collateral," yet inseparable from the central revelation, which is the existence, majesty, and glory of the Creator shining forth in all "visible" and "invisible" creation and in God's saving action in human history. Angels are therefore not creatures of primary importance in the reality of revelation, yet they belong fully to it, so much so that at certain moments we see them performing fundamental tasks on behalf of God himself.

4. According to revelation, everything that belongs to creation is part of the mystery of divine Providence. This is stated in an exemplary concise manner by Vatican I, which we have already quoted several times: "Everything that God has created, he preserves and directs with his providence, 'extending his power from one end of the universe to the other and governing all things with his goodness' (cf. Wis 8:1). 'Everything is naked and open to his eyes' (cf. Heb 4:13), 'even what will take place by the free initiative of creatures'" (DS 3003). Providence therefore also embraces the world of pure spirits, who are even more fully rational and free beings than human beings. In Sacred Scripture we find valuable insights concerning them. There is also the revelation of a mysterious yet real drama that affected these angelic creatures, without anything escaping the eternal Wisdom, which with strength ("fortiter") and at the same time with kindness ("suaviter") brings everything to fulfilment in the kingdom of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

5. We recognise first of all that Providence, as the loving Wisdom of God, manifested itself precisely in the creation of purely spiritual beings, so that the likeness of God might be better expressed in them, who far surpass all that is created in the visible world, together with man, who is also an indelible image of God. God, who is absolutely perfect Spirit, is reflected above all in spiritual beings who, by nature, that is, because of their spirituality, are much closer to him than material creatures, and who constitute almost the 'environment' closest to the Creator. Sacred Scripture offers a fairly explicit testimony to this maximum closeness to God of the angels, of whom it speaks, in figurative language, as God's 'throne', his 'hosts', his 'heaven'. It has inspired the poetry and art of the Christian centuries, which present angels to us as the 'court of God'. 

(Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 9 July 1986)

8. Finally, it is worth noting that the Church honours three figures of angels with liturgical worship, who are called by name in Sacred Scripture. The first is Michael the Archangel (cf. Dan 10:13, 20; Rev 12:7; Jude 9). His name succinctly expresses the essential attitude of good spirits. "Mica-El" means "Who is like God?" This name expresses the salvific choice by which angels "see the face of the Father" who is in heaven. The second is Gabriel, a figure linked above all to the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. (cf. Lk 1:19-26) His name means 'my power is God' or 'power of God', as if to say that, at the height of creation, the Incarnation is the supreme sign of the almighty Father. Finally, the third archangel is called Raphael. "Rafa-El" means "God heals". He is known to us from the story of Tobit in the Old Testament (cf. Tob 12:15 ff.), which is so significant in terms of entrusting God's little children, who are always in need of care, protection and guidance, to the angels.

On reflection, we see that each of these three figures - Mica-El, Gabri-El, Rafa-El - reflects in a particular way the truth contained in the question raised by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to serve those who are to inherit salvation?" (Heb 1:14).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 6 August 1986]