International Scientific Conference

Camino de Santiago: Still Religious or Already Secular?

Poznań, October 25, 2025

     Statistical data show that the vast majority of those walking the Camino de Santiago to the tomb of St. James the Greater in Compostela still identify themselves as pilgrims. However, their accompanying intentions are not always religious and often intertwine with motivations related to tourism, culture, or sport. This raises open questions about the religious identity of the Camino and the meaning of the pilgrimage concept. These questions are significant from the perspective of religious heritage, which has always shaped the pilgrimage itself but has now become what might be called a „mute sacred”—a backdrop and collection of museum-like curiosities from history.

     At the same time, research on the religiosity of pilgrims does not so much indicate its absence as it reveals its transformation. New categories of post-pilgrims demonstrate that the Camino invites individuals to explore the meaning of their existence, serves as an introduction to a personal journey of faith, and becomes a laboratory for fundamental questions about the nature of life. Today’s Camino is a place for dialogue among believers, seekers, adherents of various Christian denominations, and even followers of other religions.

Publications on the Way of St. James suggest that the contemporary Camino resembles the „Court of the Gentiles,” a space in the biblical Jerusalem Temple designated for encounters between Jewish believers and Gentiles who were interested in Judaism. Pope Benedict XVI once encouraged the creation of such spaces, where Christians and those who „seek God with a sincere heart”—as we pray in the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer—could meet.

     The modern Way of St. James can be similarly defined as an opportunity for dialogue between Christianity and contemporary culture in a spirit of understanding and respect. The Camino excludes no one and is not limited to a select group, making it an anthropological pilgrimage that opens participants to all dimensions of existence.

     Is the contemporary Camino experiencing secularization and becoming less Christian, as evidenced by difficulties accessing sacraments and Masses in towns along the route? Is religiosity among pilgrims to Santiago declining? Or is it, as some suggest, undergoing transformation? How do modern pilgrims themselves describe the Camino? Have similar challenges arisen in the past, such as during the Cluniac reform and spiritual renewal of the 12th century? Does the concept of conversion align with what takes place in the life of a pilgrim?

     These and other questions will be addressed at the international scientific conference in Poznań, featuring experts from across Europe. We invite proposals for paper titles and abstracts to be submitted by May 10, 2025, via email to camino@umk.pl. Decisions regarding acceptance of proposals will be communicated by June 1, 2025.

Organizers:

• Faculty of Theology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

• Institute of Management and Social Affairs, University of the National Education Commission in Kraków

Scientific Committee:

• Rev. Prof. Piotr Roszak

• Dr. Franciszek Mróz

• Rev. Dr. Dariusz Doburzyński (Secretary)

• Rev. Dr. Łukasz Skarżyński

Organizing Committee:

• Roman Bielecki, OP (Chairman)

• Jerzy Kalinowski

Patronage:

• Comite de Expertos del Camino de Santiago – Xunta de Galicia

• MyPielgrzymi.com

Media Patronage:

• Monthly magazine W drodze