CREDENTIALS

What is a credential?
In the past pilgrims started on their journey with a letter from their parish priest or from their bishop as a bona fide of their intention to go on a particular pilgrimage. Today a Credential has taken the place of this letter. For the three great pilgrimages: to Santiago, to Rome (the Franchigena) or to Jerusalem there exist the national Confraternity of Santiago and the various national associations for the “friends of the path” that hand out credentials to the future pilgrims who ask for them, either in person or by email or telephone. In Italy the Credential for these pilgrimages is given out by the Confraternity of Santiago de Compostella, which has an office in Perugia. On the Way to Santiago the credential is like a “pilgrim’s passport”, allowing the bearer to have access to the various hostels, and the right to various stamps collected along the road and gives the pilgrim the right to receive the well-earned Compostela, the document issued by Santiago Cathedral testifying to the completed pilgrimage.

However the Credential does not have the value of an identity card and whosoever issues it does not accept responsibility for the behaviour of the pilgrim, just as an office issuing an I.D. card has no responsibility for the morals or civic sense of duty of the citizen.
 

Nowadays it is also a way of showing others how the paths of Francis cross Italy and informing the various parishes, convents, local authorities and town halls that “people with hefty rucksacks” (who refuse to catch trains or buses, who even walk in the rain, preferring paths to the “comfortable” asphalted roads) are not madcaps who love hardship, but are people pursuing an idea, an ideal, a search. There is a small cost to pay for the Credential, to cover postage and the expense of printing it, and also to make this service self-supporting. To help set up other connected initiatives, which will be mapped out in future, pilgrims are asked to leave a contribution, according to their means. It is a way of participating in this expanding project.