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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Perhaps it is important to note that the
Compostella is not a so much souvenier, but rather a certified
attestation to the completion of the pilgrimage under the established
guidelines. It uses the words <EM>"pietatis causa devote..",</EM>
which I suspect are the significant portion of the formula. The
Compostella is not awarded by the tourist bureau, but by the
<EM>"Capitulum"</EM>. If the church administration is certifying the
completion of the pilgrimage, then it will certify to the facts,
and not otherwise.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The word "religous" has been used in this ongoing
discussion as the qualifying reason for granting the Compostella. I seem
to recall that "spiritual" reasons qualify, and I believe that was one
of the choices that you can make when filling out the form (please correct me if
I am wrong). It is hard for me to imagine someone walking the camino and
not having, at least on some portion of the journey, a strong sense of its
spirituality. One of the things I was constantly aware of as I walked was
the millions and millions of foot steps that preceeded my own footprints, and I
was fortified by the knowledge that with each step that I took, I left
something of myself for those who followed. That whole experience is
embodied and exemplified and concentrated at the Jesse Tree, in those
little finger holes where our fingers reached in and touched those of
the past. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Paul Newfield <<A
href="mailto:pcn01awebdsi.com">pcn01awebdsi.com</A>></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>