Holy expo! Sacred objects of desire are billion dollar business
CNN | EYE ON
By Peter Shadbolt
It was once that a cassock, a simple cross and a chalice was all you needed to equip the average church, but now the world of liturgical accessories is a big business. Poland's SacroExpo is one of the largest trade fairs of its type in the world, hosting displays of everything from bells to church alarm systems and evangelical multimedia. [link]
Pilgrimages to sites of special devotion have been a big business since the Middle Ages, but the ability of people to travel easily and cheaply has seen Catholic pilgrimages grow into a multi-billion dollar industry. Lourdes in France, believed to be the site of several miracles, regularly attracts more than 5 million pilgrims a year, only slightly below the number one Catholic destination, Rome. Globally the industry is worth an estimated $4 billion and runs from big ticket items like expensive musical instruments such as church organs to simple wooden rosary beads, which can sell for as little as a few dollars. Some of the strangest items on the exhibitors' stands are church vestments designed for missions to war zones such as Afghanistan.
By Peter Shadbolt
Pilgrimages to sites of special devotion have been a big business since the Middle Ages, but the ability of people to travel easily and cheaply has seen Catholic pilgrimages grow into a multi-billion dollar industry. Lourdes in France, believed to be the site of several miracles, regularly attracts more than 5 million pilgrims a year, only slightly below the number one Catholic destination, Rome. Globally the industry is worth an estimated $4 billion and runs from big ticket items like expensive musical instruments such as church organs to simple wooden rosary beads, which can sell for as little as a few dollars. Some of the strangest items on the exhibitors' stands are church vestments designed for missions to war zones such as Afghanistan.
