Pilgrimsvandring som ett rum för diakoni. Hur kan pilgrimsarbete förstås utifrån Svenska kyrkans grund-läggande uppgift att bedriva diakoni?

Abstract

This essay treats how pilgrimage can be viewed in the perspective of diaconia. The essay is based upon 17 interviews with persons responsible for pilgrimage in the Church of Sweden. The method is based on qualitative hermeneutic discipline. The main question in this essay was how can pilgrimage be understood in perspective of the Church of Sweden's fundamental mission to conduct diaconia? The result of this study is that pilgrimage can be seen as a room for diaconia. The main theory used for explaining this is Marianne Nygaard´s model for "Spaces of Possibilities". The informants reflect upon the con-cepts pilgrimage and diaconal work and concludes in that diaconia and pilgrimage is closely related to each other. There are similarities in those two concepts, the similarities can be ex-plained as of the outcome of pilgrimage often is what the diaconal work try to achieve (spiri-tual growth, health, fellowship/community). In the results there are a presentation of some challenges for the organizer that the informants describe when trying to form a diaconal pil-grimage. And this part of the essay is concluded with some reasons as the informants under-stand it for why the Church of Sweden do focusing resources on working with pilgrimage.