We left our hotel early this morning in Astorga—the best-named hotel we have stayed in in Spain (or anywhere):
We visited the Cathedral in Astorga late in the afternoon yesterday after the rain had stopped.
Next to the cathedral is a Gaudi building called the Palacio Episcopal. I hit the jackpot there yesterday. I have been photographing representations of Santiago, or Saint James, and the Palacio had an exhibition of Santiago statues and paintings.
The most striking representations of Santiago are those of Santiago Matamoros or St. James the Moor-slayer, who rose from the grave to kill Moors. The representations are violent and gruesome.
These representations of Matamoros show that it is a matter of fact that religion has been used in the past to justify discrimination. And some people continue to use it that way today. And it is truly despicable.
Someone recently complained to me that the Bible had been unduly truncated by excluding books that could have easily been included. I see it differently. There is more than enough in the Bible. In fact, there is enough to provide a so-called religious justification for a slew unsavory practices, from genocide to slavery to every kind of discrimination. But that is despicable. It is despicable because it is completely contrary to the core message of the Bible, which is to love one another. There may be some instances where it is hard to apply the commands to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. But not many. And certainly not when confronted with mistreating people because they are different. That discrimination is based on hate, not love. And to use religion to justify hate truly is despicable.
On the way out of town this morning, we met a short elderly woman on the sidewalk walking in the opposite direction. She was walking slowly and carrying a large bag, probably groceries. She greeted us, stopped, and began talking in Spanish. We could only make out that there was a place up the road where we could get a stamp for our Pilgrim Passports. She then pointed down the street in the direction we were headed, put her fingers in the air in a walking motion, and said, “Poco a poco, poco a poco, poco a poco,” moving her fingers higher and higher as she talked. She wished us Buen Camino and walked on.
How did she know? With our first big climb in two weeks, today is very easy. We are walking less than 10 km today to the village of Santa Catalina de Somoza.
Just up the road, we got our credentials stamped in the hermitage Ecce Homo.
We then we started a long climb.
After about two more hours of walking, we came to our destination, Santa Catalina de Somoza.
In the distance are mountains with snow that I hope are not those that we will be walking though for the next several days.
We got to our hotel just before it began raining.
I carried the pack today, and we shipped Anne’s. She is carrying a new daypack that we picked up in Astorga. My leg is a lot better, and by the end of the day the rash on Anne’s leg was almost gone.
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