The European Federation of the Way of St. James Has Approved a Manifesto in Support of Ukraine and the Camino Podolico Route

The European Federation of the Way of St. James, which represents pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela to the Council of Europe, has adopted a manifesto in support of the Ukrainian Camino Podolico route and the Ukrainian people's fight for independence, freedom, and democracy.

It states that the European Federation of the Way of St. James advocates for an end to russian aggression against Ukraine, respect for its territorial sovereignty and the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their own future and their relations with other European countries; expresses full solidarity with its Ukrainian colleagues in the Federation and declares its readiness to support them within the limits of its powers.

‘At this moment, Camino Podolico, starting in Vinnytsia (4625 km to Santiago de Compostela), is the most significant and important pilgrimage route, as its existence means that Europe continues to follow the path of freedom, democracy and respect for the people who build this continent every day,’ the Manifesto states.

The document was signed by the Federation's president, Ildefonso de la Campa Montenegro, on 3 July during the organisation's General Assembly in Toulouse, France. In his speech, he also expressed support for Ukrainian partners:

‘As I have done since 2022, I would like to express our solidarity with the Ukrainian people's struggle for freedom and condemnation of the unjust aggression of the russian federation,’ said the president of the European Federation of the Way of St. James.

The full text of the manifesto can be found at this link. It will be sent to all key institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe.

The General Assembly of the European Federation of the Way of St. James was held in Toulouse, France, in early July. Its main theme was expanding cooperation between countries through which one of Europe's main pilgrimage routes passes, exchanging best practices, and expanding channels for promoting the routes.

Ukraine was represented at the Assembly by the deputy mayor of Vinnytsia, vice-president of the European Federation of the Way of St. James Andrii Ocheretnyi, and the director of the marketing and tourism department of Vinnytsia City Council Oleksandr Vesheleni.

‘Vinnytsia participated in the General Assembly for the first time as a holder of the vice-presidency, which gives us great responsibility for shaping the Federation's strategy and activities,’ said Andrii Ocheretnyi. 'Representing Ukraine in this prestigious organisation, we have the opportunity to propose issues and solutions for discussion by 20 members from 10 European countries. In particular, we want to join forces to develop methodologies and programmes that have a positive impact on mental health through the Way for civilians and military personnel who have suffered as a result of the aggressor's military actions. Our colleagues from Croatia and Spain are ready to share their experience, and we, in turn, inspire our partners with new ideas and projects.'

Reference: The Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) – the first cultural route of the Council of Europe – is a network of over 80,000 km of land routes crossing 29 European countries and 30,000 miles of sea routes, which for over 1,200 years have united the peoples of Europe, promoting the exchange of knowledge and strengthening a culture of harmony, mutual understanding and human connections that have helped shape European civilisation since the Middle Ages. One of the pilgrimage routes in this network is the Podillia Way of St. James (Camino Podolico) in Ukraine, which is coordinated by Vinnytsia City Council together with 10 other communities in Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi regions.