On July 25, 2023, the opening ceremony of the Camino Podolico, a cultural and educational pilgrimage route from Vinnytsia to Kamianets-Podilskyi, was held in Vinnytsia. At the invitation of the Vinnytsia City Council, Metropolitan Symeon of Vinnytsia and Bar took part in the event.
The ceremony took place near the Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary of the Angels in Vinnytsia. A statue of St. James the Apostle, who was the first martyr among the Apostles and is also considered the patron saint of pilgrims, was installed here. In fact, the Camino Podolico pilgrimage route, which connects 13 points in Vinnytsia and Khmelnytsky regions, has recently been included in a major pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James, which leads to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, where the relics of the Apostle are located. Vinnytsia thus became the easternmost point of the Way of St. James.
The opening ceremony of the pilgrimage route and the statue of the Apostle James was attended by the chairman of the Vinnytsia Regional Council, Vyacheslav Sokolovy, and the deputy mayor of Vinnytsia, Andriy Ocheretnyi. Addressing the audience, Vyacheslav Sokolovy congratulated everyone on the remarkable event and emphasized that pilgrims who will walk the Camino Podolico route will learn about the historical and sacred sights of Podillia and pray for victory and peace on the Ukrainian land. In his speech, Andriy Ocheretnyi stressed that the opening of the pilgrimage route will be an impetus for the popularization of Podillia as a tourist destination far beyond the borders of our country.
During his speech, to which he was invited by the organizers of the event, Metropolitan Symeon spoke about the Apostle James, who was the first of Christ's disciples who suffered for the Christian faith and the only one of the apostles whose martyrdom is described in the pages of the New Testament. The hierarch emphasized that the Apostle James, whose life and death inspired many Christians over the centuries, encourages us not to forget what it means to be a Christian and to testify about our faith to the whole world through the pilgrimage named in his honor. Metropolitan Symeon expressed his confidence that many people who will take part in the pilgrimage and follow the path that is being solemnly opened in Vinnytsia today will, first of all, pray for the victory of Ukraine and a just peace.
After the blessing of the monument to St. James the Apostle by Catholic Bishop Radoslav Zmirtovych, guests and participants of the celebration attended an organ concert held in the church.
Press Service of the Vinnytsia-Bar Diocese of the UOC (OCU)
