Seems doubtful that the patron actually believed that people praying for him would help him in the afterlife.
But maybe I'm totally misunderstanding the medieval mind.
But maybe I'm totally misunderstanding the medieval mind.
Why does that seem doubtful? There are many people (myself included) who feel that way today.
Separately, I don't think we as a society that strives to be rational, should be open to claims of belief based on faith. I think they should be immediately discarded as arbitrary claims. Just an FYI, let's steer away from that particular topic (i.e. the legitimacy of believing some part of Catholic doctrine).
Many people today believe in the power of prayer for the dead to help the state of the souls of the departed. Not a majority, but enough that you probably know a few who don't speak about it precisely because of the incredulity people express when people actually believe their religion, especially Christianity.