New Credential for the Camino de Santiago
A unified credential for the Camino de Santiago is here. The standardised pilgrim passport to earn your Compostela certificate is now available from March.
A Piedi Per Il Mondo
Much has been said in recent months about the decision of the Cathedral of Santiago to standardize the Credentials and to cancel, from March, the validity of the old ones. The picture is now much clearer, thanks to the many words spent on the subject both in Italy and especially in Spain.
The Credential, an essential document for a pilgrim who wants to use the albergue dedicated to them and who wants to obtain the Compostela, is this year subject to a rigorous reorganization. The choice to impose a single model on everyone arose from the need to regulate the spread of unofficial credentials, printed in custom formats by associations, groups, even tourist agencies, all multiplied across hundreds of countries worldwide. What differed, however, was not just the appearance but also the price, which some imposed with a decidedly steep surcharge.
The debate in Spain now revolves around whether the credential should be free or not. While some organizations, such as the one in Lugo, do not accept the imposition of a single graphic model, others, far more numerous, complain about the lack of a free document, accusing the Cathedral of Santiago of simply wanting to fill its coffers.
2 euros is the price imposed for obtaining the new credential, money that officially would serve to economically support the high costs of the Oficina de Acogida al Peregrino in Santiago de Compostela. If the trend of recent years is confirmed, also considering the designation of 2016 as the Holy Year of Mercy, the number of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago could yield, from credentials alone, more than half a million euros. A collective of associations from the Camino de Santiago in Pais Vasco, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia have officially declared war against the demands from Santiago de Compostela, stating that they will continue to distribute the old credentials and will do so free of charge. Only time will tell who will win this tug of war, but the risk is that until then, pilgrims who receive the old credential will be at the mercy of events, with no certainty about whether their pilgrimage will be recognized.
In Italy the situation is decidedly clearer and more relaxed. It was also necessary here to reprint the credentials to bring them in line with the design imposed by Santiago, but the Confraternita di San Jacopo has assured that it will not be for a fee but, as in the past, a free-will offering.
A member of the Confraternita confirmed to us just this morning that the credentials are being printed and will soon be available to all.
For those who this year wish to complete the Camino, perhaps having started it in previous years, we confirm that the old credential is no longer valid. The kilometers and stages previously covered will of course be considered valid, but to add new stamps you will be required to use the new credential. Bring both with you, so as to demonstrate to the Oficina de Acogida the completed pilgrimage.
For those departing these days from Saint Jean Pied de Port, we confirm that the Oficina of the citadel is authorized to issue the new credentials. Otherwise, we recommend contacting Santiago directly and having the renewed pilgrim document sent to you.
The credential, the Compostela and all the certificates of completed pilgrimage
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