Presentation of the first statistical report for 2015 and trends for 2016 of the traffic of pilgrims on the Franciscan ways in Assisi

Presentation of the first statistical report for 2015 and trends for 2016 of the traffic of pilgrims on the Franciscan ways in Assisi.

On Monday, June 13 at 4 pm, the statistical data on arrivals in Assisi collected by the Statio Peregrinorum (pilgrimage office) in its first year of operation will be officially presented. The Ways of St. Francis are the first religious itineraries in Italy to collect and present data on streams of pilgrims, with support from Sviluppumbria, which provided the software and accompanying technical assistance to those running the Statio.

The first statistical data on flows and arrivals of pilgrims in Assisi collected through the Statio Peregrinorum will be presented during the press conference. The Statio peregrinorum was inaugurated in April 2015 and is coordinated by Brother Jorge Fernandez, who handles the spiritual reception of the pilgrims, as well as issuing the official certificates that register and monitor the flow of arrivals. The Statio peregrinorum was founded thanks to coordination established recently among the different Franciscan ways with the support of the Basilica’s friars and in synergy with civil institutions  – Regione Umbria and Sviluppumbria, which provided support and oversaw technical aspects of the collection and handling of statistical data, as well as the local Church and the “Francesco’s Ways” Consortium.

These statistical data will be the first available in Italy describing a pilgrimage itinerary, and follow the model that has been used for decades in Santiago through the Oficina de peregrinación.

The new official certificates will also be shown during the event. They will be delivered to the pilgrims who arrive in Assisi on foot, by bicycle and on horseback along the Franciscan trails, whether travelling a long or short distance. Special recognition is also foreseen for “four-footed friends” that increasingly often make the journey with their humans.

(Photo Paolo Busolli)