Madrid, Spain, Aug 5, 2013 / 16:17 pm
The spiritual meaning of the Way of St. James pilgrimage must not be reduced to a mere touristic and ecological route, said a Spanish agency charged with promoting the Church's cultural heritage.
The ancient pilgrimage route was discussed during a recent meeting of the National Conference of Cultural Heritage of the Church, which is composed of bishops, Spanish national heritage officials and other advisors.
They recognized that the nearly 500-mile path to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain is popular as a touristic and ecological route because of the historical and artistic works and the beautiful scenery it contains.
However, viewing the pilgrimage route merely in these terms "would be to strip the pilgrimage of its main spiritual element: we would mutilate it and leave it without authentic meaning," conference members cautioned.