Wednesday Papal Audience
 

Do I need to order tickets before I go to Italy to attend a Wednesday Papal Audience?

I was in Rome last Wednesday. I did not try to attend but people with tickets were being asked to arrive 3 hours in advance.

For this pope, I would say yes.

Which is around 6 am. Those without tickets are confined to areas at the entrance to the piazza but still very crowded.

I reserved the tickets last year through papalaudience.org where they emailed you back and tell you where to pick up the tickets the day before. We went the day before to find the door locked .we asked the shopkeepers next door and they had no clue. I was so bummed since I really wanted to see the new Pope. Hope you have better luck!

Reserve through Santa Susanna Church (they now meet in another church nearby) http://www.santasusanna.org/popeVati...peVatican.html or by fax to the Vatican at http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/index_en.html

I looked into this as well. Problem was/is we are on a cruise and you must pick up the tickets Tuesday afternoon, I believe by 530pm. Alec's addresses are correct. I even called at the designated time, like between 3-4p Rome time to see if I could do something about getting the tics on Tuesday, but no anwser.

Oops ,I think I reserved my tickets through Santa Susanna Church like Alec said. I filled out the form and got a confirmation email and instruction on where to pick up the tickets,.

My husband and I attended the papal audience last May. We wrote to the Vatican (faxed, actually) using the information from the Vatican website. We received a letter in the mail stating where and what time to pick up the tickets. All was fine and dandy until we actually tried to pick up the tickets during the specified time. There was a long line and they refused everyone. The swiss guards then told us that our letter was our ticket. Ok no big deal. Went towards the "corrals" and asked another swiss guard where to go. He said we needed tickets. I tried to explain to him what the other guard told me to no avail. We just took it all in stride and followed(snuck) with group into the front section of chairs. We didn't know what else to do, and after all the effort I wasn't about to stand in the back of the square. We ended up sitting near the back of that front section and we were never questioned. I am still unsure of what went wrong. We had a great time and were very close to the pope when he greeted the crowds. Sorry, just felt I had to share that story! It probably would be easier not done on your own like we did. I hope you have a fantastic time! :)

The whole thing is really getting out of hand. It's just that so many people want to attend that the Vatican administration - Prefecture of the Papal Household which is quite small - just cannot cope. You use to be able to apply for special tickets close to the Pope - called reparto speciale - but they stopped doing it except for those who apply through their bishop etc.
Many thousands descend upon St Peter's Square from the crack of dawn to grab a seat - anywhere - and the Vatican guards just cannot control them and often let everyone in to relieve the pressure. Great for those who chanced it - but bad news for those who booked tickets in advance and find themselves not just without seats but cannot even access the reserved areas. But as a Catholic, I think it's great that we have a Pope who has captured people's minds and hearts.

-Alec-

My thoughts exactly. We didn't feel guilty about "sneaking" in because we did reserve a spot/tickets. I'm Catholic as well :)

If you're visiting Rome on a cruise day, you should just go to St. Peter's Square without a ticket. As others have said, the crowds since Pope Francis became pope have been beyond belief, and even with tickets there's not much chance you'll get near him unless you go at the crack of dawn.

By the way, today he gave two little boys a ride on the popemobile. He just stopped along the roped-in area and asked who wanted a ride.