audience with the pope
 

we will be arriving in rome on 6/26 and would like to go to the wednesday audience with the pope on 6/27. has anyone here done that? i was at the site to request tix and it says you can't apply more than 10 weeks in advance. do you know how good my chances would be in getting the tix? thanx in advance for the help and advice.

We got our tickets in March 2005 through the Church of Santa Susanna, the American Catholic Church in Rome. I don't know how far in advance they accept requests, but as I recall the process was easy: We contacted them through the Web site, they set aside the tickets, and we stopped by the church on the appointed day and time to pick them up. Here's the Web site: http://www.santasusanna.org/. Click on "Pope & Vatican" on the left-hand side.

Good luck!

thats whose website i went to tady...10 weeks in advance is when they will take reservations. i was just wondering if anyone had an idea of how good my chances might be in getting the tix. thanx for the help.

We went at the end of May and had no problems getting tickets from St. Susanna's. But you do need to go pick them up during certain hours in the afternoon the day before (maybe 4-6 pm?), so make sure you'll be in town and available at pickup time.

Are you Catholic? I think that lots of folks can get tickets though their own diosese. We're Presbyterian, so that was not an option for us.

Oh, I see what you're asking. I don't think you'll have a problem getting tickets---there are a LOT of people at the Wednesday audiences. The key thing is getting there early, because it really does get packed. I think if you apply for tickets as soon as you can, you'll be just fine. Also, I'm not sure what time you're arriving in Rome on 6/26, but according to Santa Susanna's Web site the tickets need to be picked up the night before the audience by 6:30 p.m., unless you make special arrangements. Hope this helps!

Yes, we got there two full hours early and were in the middle of the crowd...the pope looked tiny up there. But I did know (from fellow Fodorites, thank you) to sit on the center aisle, so on his way to the front, we had a VERY close view.

There are about 60.000 people, if not more, participating in the Wednesday audiences in St Peter's square. So your chances to get tickets are good.

Be there early, and bring a hat to protect your head against the sun.