A handy guide to help you hang with the leader of the Catholic Church.
Get tickets for the pope's weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.
The best way to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse of Pope Francis is to obtain tickets to his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. Every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., the pope will ride through the square in his popemobile and then preside over a 60- to 90-minute service in multiple languages. The best way to get a ticket for this service is to put in a formal request through the Prefecture of the Papal Household via fax or snail mail. You can pick up your tickets from a Swiss Guard the day before the audience at the Bronze Doors. The Swiss Guards often have extra tickets for small groups, so if you forget to make a reservation, you should ask them if there are any tickets left.
Americans have a few more options when it comes to obtaining tickets. The U.S. Bishops’ Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican will happily provide tickets to general audiences, and you can reserve tickets by emailing their office. You can also reserve tickets through the Church of Santa Susanna using an online form.
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Do your shopping before you go.
At the end of the general audience, Pope Francis will impart an Apostolic Blessing on the pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. This blessing extends to each person's loved ones and any religious articles that they've brought to the audience. As cool as it is to bring home a rosary, crucifix or prayer card from the Holy See, it's even cooler to bring home one that's been blessed by the pope.
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Dress appropriately.
A strict dress code is enforced for general audiences, and those who don't follow the rules will be denied entrance into the square at the security checkpoint. Shoulders and knees must be completely covered (no shorts or sleeveless tops, even for children). Women's skirts or dresses must fall below the knees.
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Arrive at St. Peter's Square early.
Each week, the Vatican gives out more tickets than there are seats. It's not unusual for there to be as many as 100,000 people in St. Peter's Square and the surrounding streets. Guards begin letting ticketed people into the square between 8:00 and 8:30 — so plan on being in line by 6:30, 7:00 at the latest if you're serious about getting a close spot for the general audience.
If you have more than one person in your group, it might be worth sending someone to the entrance on the other side of the square to check out which line is shorter. (There are only two entrances to get into the general audience, due to security checkpoints.)
Ellie Hall / BuzzFeed
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