Wednesday papal audience

The Papal Audiences are held on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 AM either St. Peter's Square or in the Pope Paul VI Audience Hall (in August at Castel Gandolfo). To enter the Square (or the Audience Hall), you will have to go through security first (through the colonnade on either side, as directed by the guards.) Just follow the crowds and go early! We recommend that you arrive 2 to 1/2 hours early in order to get a good seat.

The Audience is not a Mass, it is a time for pilgrims and visitors to greet, and listen to, the Pope. Pictures are allowed to be taken; religious articles will be blessed by the Pope during the Audience; it lasts about 1 ½ hours and includes prayers, singing, a brief homily, and blessings, all in different languages. DRESS appropriately (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and don’t bring backpacks or knapsacks. If there is heavy rain, and having the audience outside in not possible, the attendees are split into two groups, one group in the Audience Hall and one group in the Basilica.

Tickets are distributed by Santa Susanna Church in Via Venti Settembre, 15 (located at the corner of Via Venti Settembre and the Largo Santa Susanna - at the top of Via Barberini/Via Bissolati).

Ph.:+39 06 42014554 Fax: +39 06 4740236.  GPS: 41° 54′ 15.18″ N, 12° 29′ 37.46″ E

Tickets are free and request is preferred by Internet at:

http://www.santasusanna.org/popeVatican/tickets.html;

otherwise, from US , by fax: +39 06 42014328.

Due the volume of requests received, they cannot always send you an email confirming your ticket request.

If your email or fax went through, please presume that they have received your request and will put tickets aside for you.  If you are concerned to re-confirm your request you can telephone Rome office, however they prefer you don’t do it. To avoid problems, they suggest to send your request 2 or 3 weeks ahead. Requests sent more than 10 weeks prior to the event will be not considered.

Please, let them know if you are cancelling and do not double book with the Bishops Visitors Center.

Tickets are received just the morning before the audience. So please be aware that tickets are not available in advance and cannot be sent to you, mailed or delivered to your hotel.

You can pick up your tickets at Santa Susanna tour Visitor Desk between 5 and 6:30 PM the day before the Audience. Because at 6pm there is a daily english Mass you maybe get the chance to  pick up your tickets and join the Mass.

Giving advanced notice, they can leave your envelope in the back of the church and you can pick them up the morning of the event between 7:30 and 8:30 AM when the church is open for a mass in Italian.

While the tickets are free, you maybe consider making a free will donation per ticket in order to help continuing this service.

Tickets for the august audience are not required. If the Pope has audiences in August, there are no tickets as the Vatican Printing Office is closed for the August holiday. Audiences will only be announced the day before each audience. Santa Susanna church do not receive tickets for any other Papal events, liturgies or any other Masses and services at the which the Pope is the Presider (Christimas, Holy Week, Easter, Canonization).

You may want to check the Vatican website periodically. www.vatican.va, click on Latest Updates, then Prefecture of the Papal Household, and look at the schedule on the right hand side of the page.)

For further informations, please check: http://www.santasusanna.org/popeVatican/tickets.html

or write an email at: tickets@santasusanna.org

Nerlywed audience

Please note: Since november 8,2011 Santa Susanna Church no longer distribute tickets for the Newlywed Papal Audiences.

To get these tickets, you will need to apply directly to the Prefect of the Papal Household, fax number + 39 06 69885863, and then pick them up yourselves at the Bronze Doors to the right of St. Peter’s Basilica. Please remember, however, that to receive these tickets you need to have been married in a Catholic Church eight weeks or less on the day of the audience, and you will need to prove this with an authentic Church marriage certificate. We are very sad and sorry that we are no longer able to assist newlywed couples in obtaining these tickets.

Sunday Angelus

The Sunday Angelus is led by the Pope in Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) at 12 Noon. Tickets are not required.

Christmas, Easter, other feasts and canonization masses

Due to the ever increasing volume of ticket requests for these events, Santa Susanna church no longer manage to provide a good service. Tickets have become extremely difficult to acquire and they only learn at the very last moment how many tickets will get.

There are always far fewer than requested! Having to sit and tell people they are not going to Saint Peter's and experiencing their hurt and anger is just too much for them. Especially as they are preparing to celebrate their own Christmas and Easter services at Santa Susanna where you are always welcome.

If you want to apply for a ticket for Christmas or Easter, you can contact the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, at the Bishops Office for U.S. Visitors Office to the Vatican, Via dell' Umiltá 30, 00187 Rome, Italy.

You can telephone them at Rome Tel. 011-3906-6900-1821 or send them a fax at FAX: 011/3906/679-1448  They can also be reached by email at: nacvisoffrome@pnac.org

If you send a FAX, do not expect a response from them because of the amount of requests they receive. If you send an email, and if it gets through the junk mail detector, you will be responded to. However, please do not confuse the Visitors Office with Santa Susanna. And please do no doublebook as someone else could be using your second set of tickets!!