Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses how certain themes found among Swedish Camino pilgrims are present in the ongoing reinvention of what might be called Nordic pilgrimage, with examples from the current practices and theology of pilgrimage in the Church of Sweden.

Paper long abstract:

The Camino pilgrimage and the reinvention of Nordic Pilgrimage.

This paper relates the reanimation of the Camino pilgrimage to the pilgrimage movement within the Church of Sweden, focussing on certain aspects. On the one hand, the Camino pilgrimage (i.e. the walking pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela) serves as a model for pilgrimage in Sweden and is integrated in Church practices with parishes undertaking communal walks on the Camino for instance. On the other hand, there is also an attempt to distinguish pilgrimage in Sweden from Catholic pilgrimage practices of today. In this paper, I will discuss how certain themes found among Swedish Camino pilgrims are present in the ongoing reinvention of what might be called Nordic pilgrimage. One example is the elaboration of a theology of pilgrimage in the Church of Sweden focusing not on the goal, but on the journey itself, using "the road" as a key symbol. Another central theme is an emphasis on nature as God's creation.