Pamphlets and fliers with guides to nearby monuments and announcements of feasts and activities in Santiago, the final destination of the pilgrimage also ought to be provided, as well as information on prayers and different novenas, and papers with information on liturgies, hostels, museums and office hours for the Pilgrim Office in Santiago.
If there is a church near to the location of where the pilgrim is staying, the host, with the help of local parishioners, is encouraged to speak with the priest to arrange the opening hours so their guests can have the opportunity to "contemplate and meditate" about their experience.
The bishops also urged these parishes to offer Vespers, Mass and a special blessing for pilgrims before they start their journey again. If there is a priest among the group of pilgrims, they are asked to officiate the celebrations and announce them so that others may also participate.
Christian hosts are also asked by the bishops to advise other, non-Christian hosts of the church and office opening hours in case pilgrims staying with them are interested.
For religious houses and monasteries that host pilgrims, the bishops noted that many pilgrims "look for them and appreciate" staying with them. As such, the institutions "must be expanded" and offered "targeted support" to help them provide for pilgrims' needs.
They are asked by the bishops to invite guests to respect the rules of the order and to keep silence, and to pray with members of the order when possible.
Members of the order, depending on their specific rule, may also eat with pilgrims at meal times. When opportunities arise, they are encouraged to speak with pilgrims, to listen to them and to explain their vocation.
In order to ensure that there is always someone available for this specific task, the bishops asked that all monasteries designate a specific monk or sister fill the role, "so that at whatever time of the day they reach the monastery they can be welcomed as Christ himself."
As in regular hostels and hotels, the bishops requested that monasteries and convents also provide information on the Santiago pilgrimage and what they will find at the end, as well as on the history of their order, their specific monastery and those who inhabit it. In the case of parishes, they are requested to have information available on the priesthood.
For individuals who decide to host pilgrims, the bishops stressed the importance of being well-formed in the faith, saying "the mere act of being baptized and a practicing Catholic is not enough to be a Christian host."
"A formation is needed which allows one to deepen in their own faith," they said, noting that hosts will inevitably have to respond to a variety of different questions on the faith, including deeply reflective questions on the Nicene Creed, the Our Father prayer, religion, morals and the Church itself – her history, administration, role and how it differs from other denominations.
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The bishops emphasized the importance of listening to pilgrims without asking jarring or probing questions, saying "the Christian host is not a journalist nor a psychologist."
"Journalists need immediate answers, opinions on progress; that the interviewee provides, without reflection, their feelings about the event that has just occurred," they said.
"Neither is the Christian host a psychologist or social assistant who, eager to put maieutics into practice, will try to get the other to speak about themselves and so formulate notions that the interlocutor doesn't know or had never expressed."
"Maieutics" refers to the method used by Socrates when he attempted to elicit knowledge from a person through interrogation and an insistence on close and logical reasoning.
"Not everyone is Socrates," the bishops said, stressing that to impose dialogue on someone that begins with questions such as "what is your impression?" or "is the Camino giving you what you hoped for at the beginning?" will only prompt immediate and superficial answers, such as "there are too many people," or "I met a nice couple."
Rather, a Christian host, they said, "must give testimony of their faith in at least two ways. In first place, by example."