[Gocamino] New credential requirements, (message 1)

[hme347 at aol.com]

I do not subscribe to Rosina's narrow definition of the Camino experience.  While it may apply to her and to many others, the pilgrimage has taken on a much broader meaning to many others over the years.  It can be spiritual (without being "primarily religious") in an ecumenical sense; cultural and educational; cathartic and self-renewing, all not necessarily with the sponsorship of the church.  By the way, many of the albergues (refugios) are not church sponsored; numerous refugios are privately or municipally owned; some are run by Confederations from abroad.



I am tired of rants about false pilgrims and true pilgrims; there may be some individuals who want to stay at refugios and not pay, but most refugios that I stayed at required that you pay or make a contribution.  If perchance someone freeloads, let's not encourage the "church police" to overreact with new and improved controls over pilgrim passports. Let's not carry on about the sinners and abusers of refugios especially this time of year with a "holier than thou" attitude.




Howard Mendes, NYC


the Santiago pilgrimage is primarily religious in 
nature and that the network of albergues would not exist without the care and 
the sponsorship of the church.




-----Original Message-----
From: Rosina <blaroli at aol.com>
To: GoCamino at oakapple.net; saintjames at yahoogroups.com
Cc: acaciopaz at yahoo.com.br
Sent: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 9:42 am
Subject: [Gocamino] New credential requirements, (message 1)








Hello you all,

 

>From its or
igins the Santiago pilgrimage has been a deeply religious undertaking 
and since the 11th century the church has provided refuge, food, medical care 
and other assistance to pilgrims. The knights Templar and the Hospitaleros were 
organized to protect and care for pilgrims at the behest of the church.

Over the centuries, and because of the tremendous growth on the number of 
pilgrims, municipal authorities, with limited authority, throughout the various 
routes leading to Compostela asked the church, because of its unlimited 
jurisdiction, to organize, coordinate and supervise the means of assistance to 
pilgrims, and thus the network of albergues, as we know them, came to be.

In time, however, because of the great many abusers who saw the albergues as 
merely free lodging several attempts were made to limit such abuse by devising a 
means to recognize true pilgrims for whom the albergues were meant. Pilgrims 
were required to obtain a letter of introduction from their parish and a 
signature from the religious personnel of the albergues in which they stayed.  
This went on for centuries and centuries, until fairly recently.

The pilgrims’ credential as we know it was created in Jaca at the International 
Congress of Xacobean Associations in 1987. Its purpose was, and is, to 
substitute the notebooks and pieces of paper with seals that pilgrims used to 
carry with them and to allow the use of albergues, medical assistance, etc. In 
other words, it was meant as a “Pilgrim

s passport” that would also qualify a pilgrim to obtain the Compostela.

Over the past few years the number, type, appearance and provenance of  “pilgrim 
credentials” has multiplied beyond control, and a large percentage of them has 
been found to have been falsified, and even marketed, with the sole purpose of 
obtaining free lodging. Many free-loading non-pilgrims have caused significant 
safety and other concerns at the albergues. Because of this the Archdiocese and 
the Federation of Santiago Associations have been obliged to adopt measures to 
curb the problems, and one of those measures has been to require a uniform and 
acceptable credential.  Naturally, groups and people that for whatever reason 
dislike (or even hate) the church,  or uniformity, or any conformance whatever 
have objected and expressed their disapproval, sometimes loudly and unkindly, 
inexplicably forgetting that the Santiago pilgrimage is primarily religious in 
nature and that the network of albergues would not exist without the care and 
the sponsorship of the church.

Be that as it may, Don Genaro Cebrian Franco, the Santiago Cathedral Canonic in 
charge of Pilgrimages, and of the pilgrims’ office in Santiago has issued a 
letter about the new credential requirements that will go into effect tomorrow, 
January 1, 2009.

A translation of the letter will follow in a subsequent message.

Hugs!

Rosina 

 

 
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