Tips for a Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square

(Guest post by Chris Sanders)

Wow, we got front row tickets to a Papal audience in St. Peter’s Square and saw Pope Benedict the XVI up close in Vatican City!  One of the more unique, interesting, and fulfilling experiences one can have in Rome is to attend a Papal general audience. There is something almost magical about the crowds of thousands, packed into St. Peter’s Square to see and hear the Pontiff – the leader of a billion Catholics worldwide. Even for non Catholic and non religious people, the experience can be interesting and unique at minimum… and its free of charge!  One of the most unique things to do while visiting Rome.

Veterans of Papal events in Rome

My wife and I have been to no fewer than five Papal events, three of which were general audiences (the other two were the Beatification of Mother Teresa and an Easter Mass).

During general audiences in St. Peter’s, the Square is partitioned into several sections – each section is filled with rows of plastic chairs. Sections are filled on a first come first serve basis.  Most of the time, despite arriving early, we get a seat somewhere in the middle of the Square, far away from the “action.”

Thankfully the Vatican has invested in really good video monitors and a world class sound system.  Seriously, you can actually hear the Pope take a breath before he speaks – it is THAT good!

The best seats during a Papal audience!

However, during our most recent Papal audience, we (my wife and I along with our friends Raul, Beth Ann, and Bill) were treated to especially good seats, way up in the Pontiff’s “VIP section” (as I call it):  the boxed section just to the right of the Pope’s canopy if you are facing the Basilica…  It probably has a more official name. 

Now that I think about it, maybe its called the “IP” section, because across from our section (and to the left of the Papal canopy) were seated various European royals (Belgian, to be more specific) and other dignitaries, many of whom were invited to approach and receive a blessing from the Pope after the audience. 

I guess technically, our tickets to the Papal audience were in the “VIP” section as it were…  Still, the IP section wasn’t so bad… 🙂

Anyway, so there we were, in the “IP” section at St. Peter’s during a Papal audience in The Vatican. The experience was exhilarating to say the least… 

From this vantage point (as one would expect) the sounds are clearer, the sights more vivid — and in addition to being only a few yards away from the Pontiff, one also gets to view the Square and see the massive crowds from his perspective…  I mean, imagine if – on an otherwise routine Wednesday at 11 AM – a few hundred thousand people came to see and hear what you had to say, wow!

Getting closer to the Pope during the audience

The most exciting moment came at the end of the ceremony, when Pope Benedict got into his Pope Mobile…  And on his way to tour the Square, the white open air Mercedes made a quick pass by our section. The Pope himself passed literally just out of arms length of us… 

A few nuns who were positioned slightly in front of us actually made a connection with the Pontiff!  And they were not shy about getting a close to the front as possible!

Each of the Papal events we have attended have been special, for different reasons. The day we were “IPs” was special in its own right as the vantage point was unparalleled. Also, this was the first time we saw Pope Benedict XVI…  Our previous three events were with Pope John Paul II. Viva il Papa!

Tips for planning your visit in a Papal audience

If you are interested in attending a Papal audience in The Vatican, the below items should help you with your planning:

• Papal general audiences are held each Wednesday at 11 in the morning. In the wintertime or on days with bad weather, the audience is held indoors (in the Basilica or in the Hall of Papal Audiences).  In the summer months, the audience is held outdoors in St. Peter’s Square – very spacious!
• Tickets to a Papal audience are free but you need to reserve them in advance.  You then pick up the tickets at The Vatican on the day before the audience. There are multiple outlets but I suggest going right to the official source, the Prefecture of the Papal Household http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/en/biglietti_en.html
• Remember, tickets to Papal audiences are TOTALLY FREE! If someone tries to sell you a ticket, don’t buy it!
• If you want to sit in the “VIP” or “IP” sections (remember these are my terms, not The Vatican’s), work through your local parish church.  Even then, I don’t think anything is guaranteed.  In fact, we didn’t realize our tickets were “premium” until we picked them up the day before the audience.
• Arrive at St. Peter’s Square as early as possible in order to get the best seats possible.  Getting close to center aisle or any of the aisles maximizes the chances that you will see the Pope up close if he goes around in his Pope-mobile!
• Be advised, you have to pass through a security checkpoint to enter St. Peter’s Square.
• Hit the restroom beforehand.  There aren’t many restrooms available within the Square…
• Take a hat to protect your head from the sun.  The sun actually can be quite intense in St. Peter’s Square.

Good luck! If you want additional information about getting tickets to a Papal audience, or, if you would like to share your experiences attending a Papal audience, let us know via a reply to this blog!

Other things to do while in Rome:

– St. Paul Outside the Walls: One of Rome’s Less Seen Basilicas

– A Food Tour in Rome

– Doing Rome with a Plan

– Ceilings of the Vatican and Rome

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