Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – It is on the importance of tourism for the encounter between different cultures of the world and as an opportunity for "clear and explicit announcement of Jesus Christ", that the Message of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Travelers dwells upon, published in sight of the World Tourism Day (September 27 2011) on the theme "Tourism and linking cultures". In our present day world more than nine hundred million people travel internationally, underlines the text, in this way tourism presents itself as "breaking down barriers across cultures and fostering tolerance, respect and mutual understanding". Tourism, by its very nature, can favor "meeting as well as dialogue, as it places one in contact with other places, traditions, manners of living, and other forms of seeing the world and conceiving history". Regarding dialogue, the first condition that is required is that of "knowing how to listen, to want to be questioned by the other, desiring to discover the message within each monument, cultural manifestation, all of this being done with respect, without prejudice or exclusion, and avoiding biased readings". Pastoral care of tourism is therefore "to educate and prepare Christians so that these cultural encounters are productive in their travels and not lost opportunities, but contrarily, serve as a personal enrichment, helping to know each other, and to know oneself".
The Message continues: "As we are conscious that the Church 'exists in order to evangelize', we must always ask ourselves: How can we welcome people in holy places so that they come to better know and love the Lord? How can we facilitate an encounter between God and each one of the people that are there welcomed?" To these questions the text responds by highlighting the importance of adequate welcome, which is manifested by a variety of elements, from the personal availability to listen, to the accompaniment throughout the duration of the stay. In addition "promoting intercultural dialogue and taking advantage of our cultural patrimony at the service of evangelization, it is convenient to adopt a series of concrete pastoral initiatives", including "the elaboration of the idea of touristic travel offering visitation to the places that are most important in the religious and cultural patrimony of the diocese" and to take care of the spiritual and cultural formation of tourist guides. "We cannot allow ourselves to view the tourist visit as simply a step in pre-evangelization – underlines the Message - but as a platform to realize the clear and explicit announcement of Jesus Christ". (SL) (Agenzia Fides 09/07/2011 )
