Professor Helmut Eberhart

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Pilgrimage as an event of encounter
Possibilities and chances for an interreligious dialogue and fora new identity construction in Europe
1. The current importance of going on pilgrimages in publications and exhibitions
In 2010, almost at the same time, two special exhibitions plus two extensive exhibition
catalogues were presented in the USA: “Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art”1 was displayed in New
York, while a second exhibition – “Pilgrimage and Faith”2 was travelling the United States.
Both exhibitions tried to reveal the relationship between pilgrimage and art. Whereas theformer exhibition confined itself to the subject of Buddhism, the second one used an overall
interreligious approach as a working basis, thus making apparent that pilgrimage has becomea worldwide phenomenon. However, we need not travel as far as America in order to realize
the tendency that pilgrimage as an interreligious phenomenon has been made apparent within
the framework of various exhibitions and publications. In 2010, the Deutsches Museum in
Munich presented the exhibition “On the road to heal the soul – pilgrimages in the past andpresent.” Its goal was to promote the interreligious dialogue and, therefore, the exhibition
displayed Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu pilgrimages.3 Another exhibition –“Jews, Christians and Muslims. Intercultural Dialogue in Old Writings” – in the Austrian
National Library in Vienna also focused on the interreligious dialogue.4
By referring to current exhibitions I want to emphasize the worldwide topicality of the issueof the interreligious dialogue, especially with regard to the fact that this topic is increasingly
being seen in a global context. Our symposium, which focuses on the “Roles of Culture on theFoundation of European Integration”, cannot ignore the global context of this topic caused by
the current migration which is taking place on a world-wide scale, and which affects Europe
to a high degree. That is why I want to deal with the considerable cultural and spiritual
importance of pilgrimage and the enormous shift of meaning of this phenomenon. For that
purpose I am going to use for the main part examples of Christian pilgrimages. Finally wewill have to deal with the question whether pilgrimage might be suited to contribute to a new
European process of integration.

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2. The semantic meaning of the term and its current use
Starting signal for a 'pilgrimage of variety' wrote an Austrian newspaper5 at the beginning of
the event from the 7th to the 8th September 1996, which took place in Mariazell on theinitiative of the Austrian Bishops' Conference. In this connection the media interest did not
focus on the term "pilgrimage" but on the fact that the future of the Catholic church in Austria
would be discussed. And so this pilgrimage of variety can be understood as a metaphor for amore pluralistic way of thinking within a common catholic church. At the same time - even if
it was not intended - the pilgrimage of variety also showed a pluralistic definition of the term
"pilgrimage", including the fact that the bishops were inviting the faithful to speak about the
future of the Austrian church at the country's most famous place of pilgrimage. An event,which could have taken place anywhere else, is becoming a "pilgrimage" simply because of
the chosen venue!6
In June 1994 Austria had to vote about membership of the European Union. At that time, thesocial democratic politician Brigitte Ederer, as permanent secretary was responsible for EUaffairs. She had promised to go on a pilgrimage from Vienna to Mariazell (a journey of about
150 km) if more than 51,5% of the Austrians would vote for membership. As we know, morethan 66% were in favour. On July 8th, 1994, the permanent secretary left on her pilgrimage.7
But was this really a pilgrimage? Her hike was in the limelight. Newspapers, radio and TV
accompanied Ederer's walk to Mariazell. But Ederer was a social democratic politician! So
the press reports about the media circus were accordingly ironic. A well-known newspaper
stated that a big mistake was being made saying: It's easier for a camel to go through the eyeof a needle than for a social democratic politician to go on a pilgrimage to Mariazell. 8A
church orientated newspaper simply refused to talk about "pilgrimage" in the context of
Ederers walk and spoke rather about a "bet", which Ederer had made good with her walkingtour to Mariazell.9 However, the formal setting for a traditional pilgrimage seemed to be inplace - she had promised a pilgrimage and had made good her promise by her walking tour toMariazell and by visiting the church. To accuse her of lack of attitude of mind, or of having
been too much in line with the media requirements, would be tantamount calling other kindsof pilgrimages into question also.
In my opinion these two examples clearly demonstrate the problems of using the term
"Pilgrimage" in our postmodern society.
And here, in my opinion, we are confronted with a basic problem. The church and - which ismore relevant for us - also the catholic public discourse seem to define pilgrimage and its

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symbols from a pragmatically theological point of view, including also a certain abandonmentof ritual behaviour.
On the other hand we are faced with rituals, which in some cases seem to have lost theirtraditional meaning and contents, but, nevertheless, can be regarded from a cultural scientificpoint of view as a pilgrimage, and perhaps can be described - following the Austrian
Folklorist ant Ethnographer Leopold Schmidt - as custom without faith.10
However, it is not only the church who bestows a modified quality on the term ‘pilgrimage’.
In common discourse he have got used to perceive the terms “to pilgrim” and “go on apilgrimage” in a mundane context. Just think of the rituals taking place when people visit
Elvis Presley’s grave in Memphis (USA) or think of all the rituals in connection with thedeath of “Lady Di” or with a visit to her gravesite in Althorp (GB).11 Apropos – meanwhile
we have come to use this term in a totally secular context: we pilgrimage to a concert, to a
shopping centre etc.
3. The current topicality of ‘going on a pilgrimage’
After having dealt with the semantic importance of “going on a pilgrimage” in its current use,
I want to investigate its topicality for our society. In my introduction I have already referred tothe importance of pilgrimage in exhibitions all over the world. To what extent is thisimportance true for the people concerned? Have pilgrimages really become as topical as it has
been made apparent by books and exhibitions?
On my institute I have dealt with a number of smaller and larger relevant projects over the
past ten years. One project was a large one, which lasted for two years (2001 to 2003) andwhich was funded by the Österreichischer Forschungsfonds (Austrian Research Fund). This
project investigated pilgrimage in post-modernism using examples from the Austrian federal
province of Styria. Hypothetically we could well have proceeded from a larger number.
However, the dynamics of the pilgrimage movement somehow surprised us. Let me explain
by presenting some facts: at the beginning of our study we made an inquiry in 388 Styrian
parishes (at this time 245 parishes had their own priest, 143 parishes were served by a priest
from another parish). Altogether 245 parishes were part of our investigation. We were
surprised by the result.12
Only 13 parishes did not organise any pilgrimages. Two thirds of the pilgrimages which
occurred in the other parishes are one-day pilgrimages. About half of the pilgrimages are bus
tours; one third of the pilgrimages are foot pilgrimages. For the rest of the pilgrimages people

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use various means of transport, such as the bike, the motorbike, the train, the tractor, the horse,
inline-skates, cross-country skis and the aeroplane. Technical facilities are integrates into thecultural pilgrimage system quite naturally thus elucidating the relevance of the pilgrimage tothe present.13
There are further remarkable facts: About 75 % of all pilgrimages developed within the past
30 years. Not even 10 % can be referred to as traditional pilgrimages, which began before
1900.14
A cultural pattern which had become a mass phenomenon in the Middle Ages and during thelate Baroque and which became practically insignificant during the 50s and 70s was
rediscovered in the late 70s. Today this pattern will serve as a classic example for the fact thattraditions are very much alive in the present
A further highly topical example: In May 2004 the famous Austrian pilgrimage center
Mariazell was visited by about 80,000 pilgrims who wanted to attend the Day of Central
European Catholics. A local parish magazine called it an “Event of Encounter” and the event
itself had as its motto “Pilgrimage of Peoples”. Nothing can demonstrate more clearly the new
definition of the term pilgrimage than this motto. It is not important to reach a place ofpilgrimage on a traditionally defined day, influenced by more or less traditional motives: it isabout the contribution the Church can make in order to support the international
understanding. In other words: Mariazell invites the acceeding countries, especially those ofCentral Europe, to gather under the sheltering cape of the Magna Mater Austriae – just like inthe times of the Habsburg Monarchy. It must be pointed out that since the fall of the Iron
Curtain a large amount of pilgrims to Mariazell is coming from the acceeding countries inCentral and Eastern Europe.15
I would like to mention another example of how pilgrimage is used apart from its original
purpose. The pilgrimage and historical paths of pilgrimage will be used to construct a new,common European identity. “Europe and its Citizens. The first pilgrims created paths of unity
where the European roots are located and can be experienced” – thus runs the title of ahomepage, which introduces within the scope of the additional course European Studies at
RWTH Aachen ( Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule in Aachen) the project
Socrates Comenius. The project which lasted from 1997 to 1999, focused on the “European
Christian pilgrims in the Middle Ages as a factor getting something in motion and as auniting element between the European peoples”. Schools from different countries have cooperated in order to investigate the phenomenon of pilgrimages under historical andProfessor Helmut Eberhart

5sociocultural aspects and “by walking along the medieval paths of pilgrimage they havebecome themselves EU-citizens of a new Europe”.16
So far I have argued from the viewpoint of the Christian pilgrimage and I think that I havebeen able to demonstrate the topicality of this issue. But I also want to refer to the great
popularity pilgrimage is enjoying worldwide: During a working visit in Japan in 2006, I wasable to discuss with colleagues the enormous importance of a pilgrimage around the Japaneseisland of Shikoku. In 2007 I was offered the possibility to lecture at Wuhan University in
China and there I discussed the topic of pilgrimage with many students from various Asian
countries. The boom of pilgrimage proved right everywhere!!
From the Christian-European point of view the orientation of the Protestants towards
pilgrimage is remarkable! In the autumn of 2010 I was invited to a congress in Germany and I
was requested to speak about pilgrimage. Remarkably enough, this congress had beenorganised by Protestant groups. In this context it is important to know that Martin Luther
hated any kind of pilgrimage and condemned it as “countless reason for sin”!17
4. Theoretical approaches
Now I want to refer to a central notion why modern people are attracted by places ofpilgrimage, namely spirituality. – Spirituality in the sense of the Vienna psychiatrist andtherapist Alfred Längle, which means that our mind is open for a stratum that carries us.18“We are permanently on call, permanently mobile, so that we can hardly straighten out ourthoughts. Equipped with artificial limbs, such as a mobile phone, a walkman, a pair ofheadphones, … this new human being, who is networked with the whole world, is able to pullout a weapon at any moment, thus showing a striking resemblance with a soldier who isconstantly in action at the front. Nietzsche says that exhaustion and overwork are the modern
vices. Constantly fighting phantoms, we sustain injuries which are not calculable, thus
suffering from every-day injuries instead of war injuries”. These lines we find in Pascal
Bruckner’s revealing book “Verdammt zum Glück” (“Damned to be happy”).19 The
pilgrimage offers an opportunity to straighten out our thoughts, to be released, even though
only for a limited period of time, from the concatenation of every-day life. Experiencing one’s
body and nature plays an essential role when we compose ourselves. Spirituality only makes
sense if it connects experiences and unites mind, heart and body. Spirituality does notnecessarily mean believing in God or in a god, but refers to the yearning for a humanwholeness, and, therefore, it looks out for methods to achieve this aim. Yet it is possible that

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this wholeness will remain fragmentary. Looking out for wholeness is a reaction to thefragmentation of the areas of life in modernism. Our world is split up in a world of work andefficiency and in a counter-world of the private.
The yearning for spirituality is only one aspect of the popularity of pilgrimages; the otheraspect is the yearning for community.
The sensitive interplay of being alone with one’s self and the security of the group are an
essential experience for most of the pilgrims – only a few of them would set out alone for awalking pilgrimage. The size of the groups varies to the same extent as does the individual
notion of the number of participants we feel comfortable with. Most of the groups consist of
10 to 20 some of 30 to 50 persons. Even though individuals join only temporarily in order todo something together, this gives them the impression of forming a relatively stablecommunity, says the German sociologist Hans Georg Soeffner.20
So, when participating in today’s pilgrimages, we find the whole spectrum of people who are
in quest for a meaning of life , devout Catholics and Protestants, esoterics of various colours,
and agnostics, even Buddhists or Muslims.
I have tried to sketch the pilgrimage as a highly topical and diverse phenomenon, whose
importance is increasing. This fact seems to be at variance with the notion of an increasing
secession from the church and the growing secularization of society. On the other hand,
however, it has long been evident that the rediscovered yearning for spiritualism and a new
mythology involving auratic places (places with an aura), to which pilgrimage centres also
belong, come to the fore more and more. Psychologists explain this phenomenon as acompensatory opposite world to a prevailing mood of modern man.21
Several years ago the German Ethnographer Martin Scharfe referred to a certain mechanismof compensation, which he declared to be culture producing in a certain way. Arguing against
the compensatory approach of the German philosopher Joachim Ritter from the early sixties22,
Scharfe criticized the museums. In his opinion they only compensate for some cultural lack of
our industrial society, which means that the museums consider their sole task to be thepreservation of cultural possessions lost in reality. They want to show the ideal world as ahelp against the situation of life.23
In my opinion, the present search for the meaning of life, leading especially young people
toward to spiritualist ideas, has one of its most important roots in a certain cultural andspiritual lack. In this context religion is a method for self discovery, but of course, it should be
noted that Christianity has long since lost its monopoly also in the Christian occident.

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In this kind of situation pilgrimage can have a dual significance. First of all, through thepilgrimage church, e.g. Mariazell, which could be a place of self discovery (even without
sharing catholic symbols), and secondly by integrating the world of symbols of catholic
customs through the pilgrimage itself. Psychologists regard regular repetition prayers, as iscustomary at the traditionally performed pilgrimages on foot, as a rediscovered psychotechnic,a kind of meditation, with or without an explicit connection with god, with the aim, to sortthings out in ones own mind, to find peace.24 Herbert Benson, a cardiologist at Harvard
University, emphasizes the effect of relaxation through regular immersion in prayers. The
regular repetition of words or thoughts provokes a physiological reflex of relaxation.
It is something like the “oh mani padme hum” in Tibet!25
Folklorists and ethnologists notice this comeback of traditional cultures nearly everywhere,
but it is a comeback the other way round. In my lecture the pilgrimage will serve as an
example for making this comeback apparent. However, pilgrimage is not a cultural
phenomenon which can only be placed in a particular region because it was at a very earlystage that pilgrimage developed nearly global features. That is why we simply cannot reduce
pilgrimage to the re-discovering of regions because there is more to it: It is not only theregions and regional traditions which meet the needs of modern people. The recourse tostabilising, supporting customs and rituals generally correspond to these needs thus
completing people’s homesickness for their regions.
5. Pilgrimage as a chance for gaining a new form of integration and a new identity
construction
I hope that I have succeeded in showing you that there is more to the term ‘pilgrimage’ thanjust revisiting an old religious tradition. Today ‘pilgrimage revisited’ helps people all over theworld to ease their longings which ultimately originate from an economy-orientated,
globalised world that offers people only little means of orientation. That is why pilgrimage
has been constructed as a part of a counter-world that provides – at least temporarily – somesecurity and stability. In the meantime the active participation in pilgrimages – mainly but not
exclusively in walking pilgrimages – has become a part of identity construction for many
people.
Over the past 20 years Europe has been facing an extraordinary wave of migration. People ofthe most different religious alignments as well as agnostics have come to Europe.

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When we realise that pilgrimage is a phenomenon which is practised by people beyond any
religious orientation, and when we further realise that this phenomenon has already turned
into a mass phenomenon, then we may draw the conclusion that pilgrimage and the aforementioned interreligious dialogue might well serve as a tool to promote a new European
integration policy. Perhaps this tool should be used more frequently.
Thank you for your attention.

1

Adriane Proser (ed.): Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art, New Haven und London 2010.
Virginia C. Raguin, Dina Bangdel, F.E.Peters (ed.): Pilgrimage and Faith - Buddhism, Christianity and Islam,
Chicago 2010.
3
Birgit Breitkopf et al.: Unterwegs für’s Seelenheil. Pilgerreisen gestern und heute, Kurzführer durch die
Ausstellung im Deutschen Museum in München, München 2010.
4
Juden, Christen und Muslime. Interkultureller Dialog in alten Schriften, Exhibition organized by the Austrian
National Library, Vienna 2010.
5
Kleine Zeitung, Sept. 3, p.11.
6
The following presentation is based on several papers, which are completed for this presentation: Helmut
Eberhart: Aspects of and Thoughts about Pilgrimage today on the Example of Mariazell: In: Anders Gustavsson
und Maria Santa Montez; Folk Religion - Continuity and Change. Papers Given at the Symposium of theCommission of Folk religion in Portugal in September 1996, Lisboa 1999, p.259-266. Helmut Eberhart:
Pilgrimage as an example for "the past in the present". In: Fabio Mugniani, Padraig Ó Héalaí, Tok Thompson(ed.), The Past in the Present. A Multidisciplinary Approach, Catania 2006, p.157-167; Helmut Eberhart:Überall ist Wallfahrt. Ein kulturwissenschaftlicher Blick auf ein wiederentdecktes Phänomen. In: Heiliger Dienst
61 (2007), Heft 1, p.7-25.
7Eberhart: Aspects of and Thoughts About, (see note 6), p.259.
8
Der Standard, July 9/10,1996, p.23.
9Kleine Zeitung, July 10, 1996, see also: Romana Gabriel: Viele Wege führen nach Mariazell. In: Helmut
Eberhart and Heidelinde Fell (ed.): Schatz und Schicksal – Mariazell, Beiträge zur Landesausstellung 1996, Graz
1996, p.278.
10
Leopold Schmidt, Brauch ohne Glaube. In: Leopold Schmidt: Volksglaube und Volksbrauch. Gestalten –Gebilde – Gebärden, Berlin 1966, pp.289-312.
11
See: Christoph Daxelmüller: Maria und Lady Di – Tradition und säkulare Religiosität. In: Walter Brunner etal. (ed.): Mariazell und Ungarn. 650 Jahre religiöse Gemeinsamkeit (Veröffentlichungen des steiermärkischen
Landesarchivs 30), Graz-Esztergom 2003, p.205-214; Marion Bowman: The People’s Princess. Vernacular
Religion and Politics in the Mourning for Diana. In: Gabor Barna (Ed.): Politics and Folk Religion (Papers on
the 3rd Symposium of SIEF Commission of Folk Religion in Szeged 1999), Budapest 2001, p.35-49.
12Eberhart: Pilgrimage as an Event, (see note 6), p.14.
13
Ibid, p.14.
14
Ibid, p.14.
15
Ibid, p.22.
16
Stefan Krebs and Jörg Riemenschneider: Europa und seine Bürger. In: www.mes.rwth-aachen.de, p.1.
17
See: Martin Luther: An den christlichen Adel deutscher Nation von des christlichen Standes Besserung, 1520;
quoted in: Rudolf Schenda: Wallfahrten. In: Martin Scharfe, Rudolf Schenda, Herbert Schwedt:
Volksfrömmigkeit, Stuttgart 1967, p.76.
18
See: Gabriele Ponisch: „… dass wenigstens dies keine Welt von Kalten ist“, Dissertation, University of Graz,
Graz 2006, p.50.
19
Pascal Bruckner: Verdammt zum Glück, Der Fluch der Moderne, Berlin 2001.
20
Hans Georg Soeffner: Die Ordnung der Rituale. Die Auslegung des Alltags 2, Frankfurt am Main 1992. p.115.
21
Heiner Barz: Meine Religion mach ich mir selbst! In: Psychologie heute 22 (1995), Heft 7, p.27.
22
Joachim Ritter: Die Aufgaben der Geisteswissenschaften in der modernen Gesellschaft. In: Joachim Ritter,
Subjektivität, Sechs Aufsätze, Frankfurt am Main 1974, pp.105-140.
23
See Martin Scharfe: Aufhellung und Eintrübung. Zu einem Paradigmen- und Funktionswandel im Museum
1970-1990. In: Susanne Abel (ed.): Rekonstruktion von Wirklichkeit im Museum (Mitteilungen aus dem
Roemer-Museum Hildesheim, Neue Folge 3), Hildesheim 1992, pp.53-65.
24
Barz: Meine Religion, (see note 21), p26.
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See: Den alltäglichen Fluss der Gedanken unterbrechen. An interview with Herbert Benson by T. George
Harris and Heiko Ernst. In: Psychologie heute 20 (1993), Heft 2, p.22.

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