[Gocamino] Vatican's airline for pilgrims

[blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
As the recent numbers of pilgrims disclose, those from Germany/Austria and Italy have grown and grown.? This may account for the recent acquisition by the Vatican of an airline to carry pilgrims.
In 1981 an Italian actor, Bud Spencer, founded an airline called Air Mistral. Eventually Correos Italia purchased the company which now has executed a five-year agreement with the OPR (Roman Agency for Pilgrimages) which is a de-facto?travel agency for the Holy See. Under the new agreement, which took effect on August 25th, the airline will carry religious pilgrims from Rome to places of pilgrimage all over the world, including Santiago.
Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who presided over the first such flight on August 25th, said that religious travelers have grown in numbers impressively. He mentioned that in 2006 150 million people had made such pilgrimages, and that in 2007 it is expected that the number will grow to 190 million.? He added that these huge numbers had made it necessary for the Vatican to come to the aid of?those pilgrims who want to visit religious sites important to their faith.? The airline will fly pilgrims to Fatima, Mexico City's Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Santiago.
The Cardinal also said that while pilgrimages may have changed in form, because of the rapidity of transportation, the spirituality of pilgrims seems to have?deepened, perhaps as a logical consequence. 

Also, this month Pyrenair will make its first flights to Lavacolla.

Gee!.... and it is still more than 27 months to 2010!

Hugs!

Rosina
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