the doctrine of intermediation is uniquely catholic. protestantism was the first step of breaking out of that by disintermediating access to the Book.

strictly speaking, you can pray to anyone, even Satan, and any of the angels and saints.

but worshiping them is forbidden, not because of jealousy (which is absurd, what could He who is All want for that we can give?) but because it's a waste of your time. the founder of judaism's earliest recorded deeds involved precisely the debunking of this idolatry, placing a weapon in the hands of one of the idols and claiming that the idol did it. oh, abraham's daddy was not pleased but he couldn't legitimately rule it out if he was faithful to his dead carved statues.

i hotly dispute the idea that the purpose of Jesus ministry was to implant the idea of intermediating access to God via another man (or apparent man). it was to teach people that they can just go direct, following his lead.