Speaking to pilgrims from the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Pope encourages the group to reflect on what makes a pilgrimage versus a simple journey.
Welcoming Italian pilgrims from the Camino de Santiago, Pope Francis commented that the “number of pilgrims to Santiago has grown in the past thirty years.” He recognized that two well-known pilgrims were his predecessors: Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Pope St. John Paul II during his visit to Santiago de Compostela in 1982
In 1982, the Polish Pope became the first pontiff to travel to the Apostle James’ tomb and he returned five years later for World Youth Day. Pope Benedict XVI made a pilgrimage to Santiago in 2010.
Three signs of a pilgrimage
While Pope Francis acknowledged the positive aspect of the increase in pilgrims, he posed the question: “Do the people who walk the Camino de Santiago truly embark on a pilgrimage? Or is it something else?”
He pointed out the three signs that define a Christian pilgrimage to the Tombs of the Apostles. The first is silence. “Walking in silence allows one to listen, to listen with the heart,” he described, “and to find, as we walk, the answers that the heart seeks.”
A mile marker on the road to Camino de Santiago
The second sign is the Gospel or, as the Pope called it, “always have the Gospel in your pocket.” Re-reading the Scriptures is what makes a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is “all the more true, and all the more Christian” when the pilgrim gives of themselves to others.
For the third sign, Pope Francis coined the term, “Matthew 25 Protocol.” He explained this is taken from the Gospel passage that reads, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” The Pope stressed the need to pay attention to what others need or those who are struggling.
Prayers for pilgrims
Ending his speech, Pope Francis encouraged the pilgrims in their apostolate of care and evangelization. “The ancient pilgrims teach us that from Christian pilgrimages,” he described, “we return as apostles!”
He placed the Holy Family of Nazareth, “pilgrims in the land of Palestine” as an example for everyone during the Advent season of waiting.
