Intercession of the saints is a Christian doctrine common to the vast majority of the world's Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and a number of Reformed Christian communities. Intercessory prayer is a petition made to God on behalf of others. If a believer prays for their children or friends, their enemies or leaders, then the believer is interceding on behalf of another. Equally, the believer may pray to a saint or the Blessed Virgin Mary for them to intercede with God to fulfill the believer's request. The doctrine of saintly intercession goes back to the earliest church. The justification for calling upon a saint in prayer is that the saints are both close to God, because of their holiness, and accessible to humans.