Problems in the Caminho de Fátima...

[Rodrigo Cerqueira]

Observing the killing of a son…
For 11 years, we have been working to expand the Caminhos de Fátima. When we started, they were in a state of abandonment, no one was interested in Caminhos de Fátima. It was usual to hear people say “they’re crazy, nobody is going through the countryside”. We carried on with our work and we restored Caminho do Tejo, we connected Santiago to Fátima, Tomar to Fátima (Caminho Nascente), Nazaré to Fátima (Caminho Poente), Abrantes to Fátima (Caminho Sudeste)…
More than 8.000 arrows painted in Portugal and Spain… We helped build shelters, “Albergues do Porto da Luz, Coz, Fungalvaz, Casa do Sardão, Monsanto, Albarrol”… We helped more than 10 authors to write guidebooks for Caminhos de Fátima in English, French, German, and Korean… We have helped thousands of pilgrims from many countries to prepare for their pilgrimages through the countryside, by phone, email, Facebook, face-to-face and through the mail… we remarked dozens of kilometres of burnt routes.
Slowly but with determination the structure of Caminhos de Fátima grew and there were good prospects of helping thousands of people to come off the roads, develop regions and enable the pilgrims to live with nature for a few days while heading to Fátima…
But yesterday what we had feared for some time, happened. The route “Rota das Carmelitas”, a project created by the EU Funds, started to erase the Caminhos de Fátima… ignoring, or not, the fact that they are killing off a Pilgrim’s route. Getting in and out, like a dagger along the way, erasing the marked routes…

https://www.facebook.com/amigosdocaminho/posts/1876658202352420

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1876676655683908

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At the same time and with the same funds from the EU released by Tourism of Portugal, an Association of Municipalities with an iconic name, “Associação Caminhos de Fátima” (not Associação de Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima), decided to throw the pilgrims into total confusion by publicizing a map of the Caminos badly marked by this entity. We have dozens of pilgrims calling and asking where the routes of the map of the Municipalies Association are.

https://www.facebook.com/amigosdocaminho/posts/1876753602342880

What can we do to avoid this problem? Very little… warn the pilgrims and wait for the EU funds to end, then go back and attempt to rebuild what was done.
We have a suggestion to make: share your own experience in a video, in this post about the destruction of a Camino which is part of your lives…

Pilgrim’s greetings!
Rodrigo Cerqueira

Copyright Rodrigo Cerqueira Photography

 

[Jotown]

Rodrigo , I am most disapointed at what has been happening ... I personally have received your associations help and advice on several occasions in preperation for my Walking on Pilgrimage from Fatima ( on the Caminho Nascente) to Tomar, and thence onwards to Santiago de Compostela.
I shall certainly raise my objections with the tourism minsitry if I find your waymarks interfered with ...

Sadly this happens on many pilgrim routes, when commercialism seeks to profit from voluntary works.. I had similiar issues on the Via Francigena where the route was often changed to include a profitable town - without consideration to the extra distances involved !

I intend to follow the Caminho Nascente next week, and shall report back !

Again, thanks for your associations good work and help

Joe

 

[Rodrigo Cerqueira]

Rodrigo , I am most disapointed at what has been happening ... I personally have received your associations help and advice on several occasions in preperation for my Walking on Pilgrimage from Fatima ( on the Caminho Nascente) to Tomar, and thence onwards to Santiago de Compostela.
I shall certainly raise my objections with the tourism minsitry if I find your waymarks interfered with ...

Sadly this happens on many pilgrim routes, when commercialism seeks to profit from voluntary works.. I had similiar issues on the Via Francigena where the route was often changed to include a profitable town - without consideration to the extra distances involved !

I intend to follow the Caminho Nascente next week, and shall report back !

Again, thanks for your associations good work and help

Joe

Thanks a lot Joe for you message.
You could give us a helping hand if you send an email to the Turism of Portugal complaining about this problem info@turismodeportugal.pt
Bom Caminho
Rodrigo Cerqueira

 

[Jotown]

Rodrigo, I intend to... I thought I would gather some first hand evidence next week - to support my complaint !!

 

[aisbr]

Rodrigo, I'm so sorry to hear this. I am planning to walk the Camino to Fatima this year from Lisbon and then on to Tomar to get back on the route to Santiago. I found your website so helpful and I really appreciate the work that you all do to keep these routes waymarked. I too will email the tourism board. This might be a daft question but if they really wanted to establish the Rota das Carmelitas could they not have put the signs up at different spots as opposed to covering the yellow and blue arrows that already exist?

Joe I would be very interested to hear how you get on too.

 

[Rodrigo Cerqueira]

Rodrigo, I'm so sorry to hear this. I am planning to walk the Camino to Fatima this year from Lisbon and then on to Tomar to get back on the route to Santiago. I found your website so helpful and I really appreciate the work that you all do to keep these routes waymarked. I too will email the tourism board. This might be a daft question but if they really wanted to establish the Rota das Carmelitas could they not have put the signs up at different spots as opposed to covering the yellow and blue arrows that already exist?

Joe I would be very interested to hear how you get on too.

Aisbr thank your for your support. You will have no problems because the Rota das Carmelitas its on the North of Fátima.
About your question we feel the same way. Why they do this? When the tourism of Portugal makes a new route that enters and exits an existing route because the politician think that pilgrims are tourists and should visit the places of their interest to bring money to new towns... we can complain against the Turismo de Portugal and ask pilgrims to do the same...

Please make a small video to help us against this problem.

Bom caminho.
Rodrigo Cerqueira

 

[Rodrigo Cerqueira]

We have started publishing in our homepage the small videos, please give us a hand a with your videos about the destruction of the way to Fátima by the Portuguese Government...
http://www.caminho.com.pt

 

[Jotown]

Rodrigo, I'm so sorry to hear this. I am planning to walk the Camino to Fatima this year from Lisbon and then on to Tomar to get back on the route to Santiago. I found your website so helpful and I really appreciate the work that you all do to keep these routes waymarked. I too will email the tourism board. This might be a daft question but if they really wanted to establish the Rota das Carmelitas could they not have put the signs up at different spots as opposed to covering the yellow and blue arrows that already exist?

Joe I would be very interested to hear how you get on too.

The route between Fatima to Tomar is well marked in both directions - none of the markings have been interfered with !

I have also sent an email to the tourism office !!

Rodrigo - I hope this helps , and thanks for your help !

Joe

 

[Rodrigo Cerqueira]

The route between Fatima to Tomar is well marked in both directions - none of the markings have been interfered with !

I have also sent an email to the tourism office !!

Rodrigo - I hope this helps , and thanks for your help !

Joe

Thanks a lot Joel. We feel very small against the government...

 

[Rodrigo Cerqueira]

The route between Fatima to Tomar is well marked in both directions - none of the markings have been interfered with !

I have also sent an email to the tourism office !!

Rodrigo - I hope this helps , and thanks for your help !

Joe

Thanks a l