…it is not surprising that the “Way to Santiago” has been sometimes considered as an example of the Church’s pilgrimage on its journey towards the heavenly city. It is a path of prayer and penance, of charity and solidarity; a stretch of the path of life where the faith, becoming history among mankind, also converts culture into something Christian. The churches and abbeys, the hospitals and shelters of the Way to Santiago still speak of the Christian adventure of making pilgrimage in which the faith becomes life, history, culture, charity and works of mercy.

John Paul II, Pastoral Journey to Santiago de Compostela and Asturias on the occasion of Fourth World Youth Day, 1989.