Pope arrives in Santiago

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Santiago de Compostela on Saturday at the start of his two day visit to Spain. He is visiting the third most important place of Christian pilgrimage after Jerusalem and Rome, thus completing a triangle as the pilgrim Pope. Lydia O'Kane is in Spain with the Pope. Listen:

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the Autonomous region of Gallica in the historic Northwest of Spain which has its own language and devolved government. But what this regional capital is most famous for is the famed 9^th century pilgrimage route, or Way of St James which has been completed by pilgrims for hundreds of years aiming to reach the focal point of the Cathedral of St James.

Over its long history men and women both young and old have walked, cycled and even made the journey on horse back beginning, from France, Spain and Portugal, forging friendships and strengthen their faith along the way. The Pope will not be walking the route himself but the Cathedral and its square will be the backdrop for a mass presided over by the Holy Father on Saturday afternoon.

St James the Apostle or St James the Great is synonymous with Spain. He is the country’s Patron Saint, who preached the Gospel in both the Holy Land and in Iberia.

The story goes that he went back to Judea where he was martyred only for his remains to be brought back by his disciples for burial at Santiago de Compostela and in the very Cathedral that stands there today. Fast forward to 2010 and the Successor of the Apostle Peter will come to this Holy place bringing his own message to the people, just like St James the Great.

The Pope is coming for the Holy Year which is celebrated every time St James’ feast day falls on a Sunday; 2010 was one of those years. A Holy Year usually brings an increased influx of pilgrims and this year has been no exception, but Holy Father’s visit has also peeked the pilgrims interest too. The pilgrims office at Santiago de Compostela has seen a significant rise in registrations since the announcement of the Pope’s journey was made.

Pope Benedict last visited Spain in 2006 for the World Meeting of Families in Valencia, but even in just 4 short years the country’s social and economic landscape has somewhat shifted.

Only this year a new Spanish law allowing abortion without restrictions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy came into effect igniting a wave of protests from thousands of Spanish Catholics and like a number of other European countries Spain in the last few years has been severely hit by the global financial crisis which continues to bit hard prompting the government to introduce unpopular austerity measures.

But despite this economic gloom the second stage of Pope Benedict’s 32 hour visit will take him to one of the most vibrant cities in Europe, Barcelona.

Barcelona is capital of another of Spain’s autonomous regions Catalonia, where Spanish, Catalan and Aranese are all spoken. It is also a region which has witnessed years of blood shed in the form of Catalan separatists who want independence from Spain.

In one of the highlights of this visit the Holy Father will consecrate the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia in the heart of the city, a much loved iconic structure by the famed Spanish Architect Antoni Gaudi which has yet to be finished, yet draws millions of tourists every year.

It is a temple where art meets faith and a church that will be proclaimed a Basilica by Pope Benedict, symbolic perhaps of that New Evangelization he has so often spoken of in the face of an increasing secularism in traditionally Christian Europe.