Pope Francis praises the courage of a Spanish mentally disabled teenager who made a pilgrimage at the shrine of Saint James, Santiago de Compostela.
The boy's name is Alvaro Calvente, 15 years old, originally from the city of Malaga, Southern Spain. Despite his disability, he completed a pilgrimage a few days ago at the shrine of Saint James, in northwestern Spain, led by his father and a family friend. The Holy Father heard the news and sent a letter to Mr. Alvaro and posted on the website of the diocese of Malaga, congratulating him and thanking him for his courage. The Pope's letter reads:
“Dear Alvaro, I have received a letter from your father, in which he tells me that you have completed your pilgrimage to the temple of James. I have a backpack on my back, which contains not only my wishes, but also those of those who joined me on that pilgrimage and ask for my prayers. Thank you for encouraging me and others to go forward and inviting many others to walk with you. In the midst of the pandemic we are going through, with sincerity, joy and simple spirit, you have encouraged the hope of many people you meet on the road or through social networks.
The Pope further wrote to Alvaro: “I have gone on pilgrimage and made many others; encourage them not to be afraid and to find joy again, because on the road, we are never alone, alone. God is always with us. Thank you for your witness and your prayers.”
The pope's letter ended with a blessing, invoking Our Lady of Carmel, and he added: "Please don't forget to pray for me."
Alvaro is the seventh of ten siblings. He lives in Huelin district and is a member of the community "New Catechism", belonging to St. Patrick's parish. Despite his disability, the boy actively participates in parish life, and indeed Alvaro's very joyful faith experience is a testimony to all who knew him.
Santiago de Compostela is a city of more than 90,000 inhabitants and houses the shrine of the apostle James the Money, with its grave here. Since the Middle Ages, this shrine has been the third largest pilgrimage site in the world.
According to legend, a star appeared at Compostela indicating the place where the remains of Saint James, martyred and buried in Jerusalem, were brought here in a strange way. In 813, King Alfonso II, of Asturia and Galizia, northwestern Spain, built a church at the place where the remains were found and entrusted to the Benedictine monks. In 997, the church and city were ravaged by al Manssùr's Muslim army, but rebuilt by King Bermudo II and turned into the third most popular pilgrimage site, after Jerusalem and Rome.
Last year, nearly 350,000 faithful came to make pilgrimage at St. James's temple, by all means: walking, bicycle, horseback riding, wheelchair, excluding other common means of transportation.