Religious tourism to sacred and religious sites does occur in New Zealand is far down the list of places wanderlusting worshippers from across the globe will come to, says travel writer Josh Martin. Our oldest church – Christ Church in Russell – is not yet 200 years old. That’s not to say there aren’t natural Read more
The Vatican has approved pilgrimages to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a significant site of alleged Marian apparitions, but has stopped short of declaring the visions authentic. By issuing a decree of nihil obstat (literally “nothing stands in the way”), the Holy See “authorises prudent adherence” to the messages of Medjugorje but has not formally recognised the Read more
Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri expects more than 100,000 pilgrims per day for the Holy Year 2025. Gualtieri said this on Friday in a video message to participants of a Catholic meeting in Rimini. Gualtieri said the great Catholic pilgrimage event is a challenge that makes hands tremble. At the same time, it is an opportunity Read more
In anticipation of the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, seven French pilgrimages began on July 28, and they will meet at the medieval Catholic cathedral in September. The legendary church’s reopening “is a historic moment and an opportunity to march behind the Blessed Virgin,” reads the Les 7 Routes Notre-Dame website. Named for the Blessed Read more
The highly popular pilgrimage centre of Santiago de Compostela is struggling with an influx of pilgrims. The influx is sparking concerns among locals about respect and preservation of their community. Roberto Almuina, 73, chairman of the 600-member residents’ association, voices these concerns: “We don’t have the slightest problem sharing our city with visitors. The only Read more
The Vatican has prohibited the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga. This rite customarily takes place after the annual Our Lady of Christendom pilgrimage in Spain. The organizers of the fourth edition of the pilgrimage announced the prohibition in a July 6 post on X: “At the Read more
In amongst the plethora of daily visitors, the finishing touches are being put on Gaudi’s magnificent Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. In Paris, Notre Dame still dons the tourist maps, despite a horrific fire that ripped through the iconic cathedral in 2019 and the painstaking restoration works underway ever since. The hilltop citadel of Athens, the Read more