[Gocamino] New credential requirements, (message 1)

Fri Jan 2 07:04:47 PST 2009

Well said.  Instead of a requiring a religious fervor or perspective for pilgrims that causes the Church to try to control the Camino (passports, refugios and awarding the Compostela), a more serendipitous approach like yours should be encouraged.

Howard Mendes NYC

-----Original Message-----
From: Leslie Gilmour <lesliegilmour at gmail.com>
To: hme347 at aol.com
Sent: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 8:01 am
Subject: RE: [Gocamino] New credential requirements, (message 1)

I would like to add a bit to this.

I first walked the Camino Frances in 2004.  I was a student at the time and
I wanted something to do during the summer.  One of my college mates had
walked from Holland to Santiago a few years before and he kept going on
about this "Camino de Santiago" - to me it sounded horrible, walking all day
across Spain, carrying my own clothes, sleeping in a hostel / albergue with
many others I did not know. No thanks.

Dara, my friend, ended up making it sound good and I decided to "give it a
try" - I had no religious or spiritual beliefs regarding the Camino, even
though I was a student at Ireland's main Catholic University.  My thoughts
setting out on the journey were - if I don't like this experience I will
just go somewhere else in Europe for the Summer.

The journey turned into "something" for me - and I still have problems
putting that something into words many years later.  My attitude and
thinking about some things changed while there - I spent time talking to
people who ga
ve their time freely to man albergues, I talked to many others
walking the Camino from all over the world - something happened to me, and
it was good, very good.

I endured somethings that I never thought I would, I became ill and was
helped - I came back from my first Camino a stronger and perhaps a more
caring person - and in a strange way I developed some pride in an
achievement that I had not set out to achieve.

I went back and walked again the next year.  It was different, this time I
went with a different mind and a softer heart.  

I am not generally given to hyperbole or psycho mumbo jumbo, however the
Camino changed my life and the direction.  I now believe that journeys like
this are very important for people and it is a great idea to do it at least
once.  I would rather that pilgrims did not set out with a mind like mine
the first time - but if that is where they are at that time, then so be it.

I talked, listened, and read at lot on the Camino.  The one thing that I
read that sticks in my mind today goes things like this, forgive my
paraphrasing.

While on the Camino you follow the yellow arrows, they show you the way,
give direction.  What do you follow after the Camino?

All the best to everyone for 2009

Leslie Gilmour
http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk

-----Original Message-----
From: gocamino-bounces at oakapple.net [mailto:gocamino-bounces at oakapple.net]
On Behalf Of hme347 at aol.com
Sent: 31 December 2008 18:24
To: blaroli at aol.com; GoCamino at oakapple.net
; saintjames at yahoogroups.com
Cc: acaciopaz at yahoo.com.br
Subject: Re: [Gocamino] New credential requirements, (message 1)

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
as
sistance, 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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