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PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF MIGRANTS AND ITINERANT PEOPLE
Third Asian Congress on
Pilgrimages and Shrines Final Document
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RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Shrines should be places of prayer and total renewal providing constant opportunities for the sacrament of Reconciliation, including counseling to guide people to genuine conversion and reconciliation, which lead to psychological and spiritual healing. It should also include family renewal programs, especially reconciliation among family members, and meaningful celebrations of the Eucharist with inspiring and invigorating preaching of the Word of God.
2) Catechesis for our Christian pilgrims has to be kerygmatic and able to lead people to God, Our Father. It should be imparted especially to small groups of families, youth, children and migrants. Some kind of presentation of the Christian faith may also be introduced for non-Christian visitors.
3) Pastoral care should be given to pilgrims to deepen their faith and awareness of the Mystery of God, of the Divine, a faith-understanding of the history of the shrine, instructions, homilies, media presentations, etc.
4) Pilgrimages and Shrines should be places of charity, accessible to ordinary people. They should have a special concern for the poor, providing social services and facilities for pilgrims to rest and be refreshed. Charity can also be expressed by welcoming, listening and understanding pilgrims.
5) Pilgrimages and Shrines are called to be opportunities and places of justice, peace and integrity of creation. They should be places where violence, injustice, the culture of death and destruction, both to humanity and the environment, are denounced. They should also provide occasions for proper catechesis against discrimination and the unnecessary use of force.
6) Pilgrimages and Shrines should be occasions and places of self-purification and transformation rather than centers providing "spiritual commercialism". Pilgrims should be encouraged to purify their faith, to remove the human temptation of "using" pilgrimages and shrines just to ask for "little favors" from God. In the shrine, it is essential to seek above all the "Grace" of the Lord, and not so much graces with a small "g" or favors.
7) Pastoral care should ensure that shrines' religious and prayerful environment should not be overshadowed by material and commercial concerns. Emphasis should be put on pilgrimages as spiritual journeys rather than sightseeing tours.
8) Special care should be given to avoid the influence of Pentecostalism when it is 'a religion of excitement and emotion' and makes people turn to non-structured forms of religiosity.
9) Shrine Rectors should be responsible and transparent in using people's offerings for charitable projects, programs and worthy causes, in accordance with the donors' intentions and the disposition of the ecclesial authority.
10) National associations of pilgrimages and shrines should be established, akin to the existing Filipino experience, aiming at a mature Asian Association of Pilgrimages. and Shrines. A particular link already exists among Shrines dedicated to Martyrs that are common in several countries. In addition, a network should also be created with a list of Asian shrines and significant pilgrimage spots.
11) Pilgrimage Directors and Shrine Rectors, while being attentive to the importance of the ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, and aware of the complexity of the issues involved, should assume the role of promoting ecumenical and inter-religious occasions for meetings and discussions. Likewise, pastoral care should provide faith-formation and promote harmonious inter-religious relationships in the Asian context, following the guidelines of the Church in these matters.
12) Directors of Pilgrimages and Rectors of Shrines should encourage people to participate in the coming XXIII World Youth Day (Sydney, 15-20 July 2008), since it creates an atmosphere to rediscover the importance of faith in young people's lives. Even if physical participation will be difficult, we ,should nevertheless pray for the spiritual success of the gathering and for continuity in the young people's efforts to follow Jesus Christ after the event.
In these days of communion, reflection and prayer, the participants have felt the presence and aid of the Martyrs of Nagasaki. They offered their lives so that everyone here could believe in the love of the Father, in the saving mission of the Son, and in the infallible guide of the Holy Spirit. May Our Lady, the Martyrs and all the saints of this continent continue always to enlighten the paths of the Church in Asia. |