Churches in Europe See Record Numbers of Visitors
2023-07-31
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1Famous Christian religious places in southern Europe are seeing record numbers of visitors.
2But not everyone is happy about the large crowds.
3Church leaders are finding it difficult to balance the needs of tourists and the people who come to pray.
4This spring, the Vatican opened a separate "pathway" starting outside St. Peter's Basilica for those who want to take part in religious services.
5St. Peter's spokesperson Roberta Leone said officials made the change because of long lines for the 55,000 daily visitors.
6The Vatican's move is an example of what many churches are doing.
7They have tourists and religious people go separate ways.
8Religious services are sometimes held in different places.
9And sometimes tourists are not permitted at worship times.
10With an estimated 330 million people visiting religious places yearly around the world, religious tourism is one of the largest parts of the tourism market.
11Worshippers often come because celebrated churches generally have more services than regular churches.
12They need to be able to enter at no cost.
13Tourists often pay fees that are important for churches to maintain their buildings.
14Daniel Olsen of Brigham Young University in Utah studies religious tourism.
15Olsen said of the situation, "It's just really hard because you also want people to experience your faith."
16Some religious people are unhappy with the large numbers of visitors.
17After the ceremony of Mass in the burial area of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain, Joan Albaiges said, "The temple needs to be a place for services and not a theme park."
18He praised the policy change in recent years to celebrate one Sunday Mass at the main altar.
19But there is such demand for the 800 free tickets that several hundred people waiting often do not get in, said Josep Maria Turull.
20Turull is the rector at Sagrada Familia who also oversees tourism for the local church organization.
21Religious leaders say the histories of the sacred buildings should be presented to visitors.
22These visitors increasingly do not know about faith traditions in churches.
23José Fernández Lago is rector of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
24Filled with beautiful art, Santiago's cathedral draws hundreds of thousands of tourists and religious visitors known as pilgrims.
25To remain a special place for religious pilgrims, Lago said, the cathedral does not charge money for entry.
26The cathedral also does not limit visitor numbers or require people to wear formal clothing.
27But visits are not permitted during the four daily Masses celebrated at the main altar.
28And priests as well as security guards always have to ask visitors to lower their voices so that worshipers can pray in peace.
29"Some people go to the cathedral, and they don't realize they're in a church," Lago observed.
30He added, "It's a situation that's developing in nations that were majority Christian, and now faith is cooling off."
31I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Famous Christian religious places in southern Europe are seeing record numbers of visitors. But not everyone is happy about the large crowds. Church leaders are finding it difficult to balance the needs of tourists and the people who come to pray. 2Dealing with more visitors 3This spring, the Vatican opened a separate "pathway" starting outside St. Peter's Basilica for those who want to take part in religious services. St. Peter's spokesperson Roberta Leone said officials made the change because of long lines for the 55,000 daily visitors. 4The Vatican's move is an example of what many churches are doing. They have tourists and religious people go separate ways. Religious services are sometimes held in different places. And sometimes tourists are not permitted at worship times. 5With an estimated 330 million people visiting religious places yearly around the world, religious tourism is one of the largest parts of the tourism market. 6Worshippers often come because celebrated churches generally have more services than regular churches. They need to be able to enter at no cost. Tourists often pay fees that are important for churches to maintain their buildings. 7Daniel Olsen of Brigham Young University in Utah studies religious tourism. Olsen said of the situation, "It's just really hard because you also want people to experience your faith." 8Different opinions 9Some religious people are unhappy with the large numbers of visitors. 10After the ceremony of Mass in the burial area of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain, Joan Albaiges said, "The temple needs to be a place for services and not a theme park." 11He praised the policy change in recent years to celebrate one Sunday Mass at the main altar. 12But there is such demand for the 800 free tickets that several hundred people waiting often do not get in, said Josep Maria Turull. Turull is the rector at Sagrada Familia who also oversees tourism for the local church organization. 13Religious leaders say the histories of the sacred buildings should be presented to visitors. These visitors increasingly do not know about faith traditions in churches. 14José Fernández Lago is rector of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Filled with beautiful art, Santiago's cathedral draws hundreds of thousands of tourists and religious visitors known as pilgrims. 15To remain a special place for religious pilgrims, Lago said, the cathedral does not charge money for entry. The cathedral also does not limit visitor numbers or require people to wear formal clothing. 16But visits are not permitted during the four daily Masses celebrated at the main altar. And priests as well as security guards always have to ask visitors to lower their voices so that worshipers can pray in peace. 17"Some people go to the cathedral, and they don't realize they're in a church," Lago observed. He added, "It's a situation that's developing in nations that were majority Christian, and now faith is cooling off." 18I'm Ashley Thompson. 19Giovanna Dell'Orto reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20__________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22tourist - n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure 23Mass - n. a Christian ceremony in the Roman Catholic Church 24temple -n. a building for worship 25theme park -n. a place with rides and fun things to do that are all connected by a cultural or artistic idea 26altar - n. a platform or table used as a center of worship in Christian ceremonies 27rector - n. a priest or minister who is in charge of a church or parish