"Scalping Papal Mass Tickets is a Sin."

The Archdiocese of Washington said scalping the passes is not only illegal, but a sin. Unfortunately, that won't deter people from trying to get them. Ben Meyerson of the Capital News Service has an in-depth article on the subject which, while covering those less inclined to heed the Archdiocese' ruling, explains the reasoning for the prohibition on scalping:

Donald Powell, a retiree living in Laurel, said he was looking for tickets so his mother-in-law -- visiting from the Philippines -- could attend the Mass with his wife. He saw no problem paying for tickets, as long as he knew the money was going to good cause.

"If somebody wants to see him bad enough, and they would pay some money, I don't think it's bad or outrageous," Powell said. "As long as it's going to a charity, I see no problem with that at all."

But Susan Gibbs, communications director for the Archdiocese of Washington, said selling the tickets is against church law.

A Roman Catholic Church Mass is considered a sacrament, she said, and scalping the passes is equivalent to selling a sacrament, which is forbidden.

Passes are also the nontransferable property of the archdiocese. If ticket holders can't use them, they should tell their source for the pass, she said.

There's a designated process for assigning unneeded tickets, she said.

"You need to go talk to your pastor -- your parish only got, you know, 20 tickets, because they're meant for other parishioners, not anyone in the United States," she said.

If the archdiocese sees a seat or section number on sale, it can cancel that ticket or flag a row for monitoring. Mass attendees must show identification at the park's front gate.

"Every ticket is seat-specific and bar coded," she said "We should be able to go back to the parish that gave out the tickets and know who's supposed to be in that section."

Associated Press: Public "less likely" to see Pope due to security concerns

The Associated Press reports today that the public will be "less likely" to see the Pope in Washington DC:

On Oct. 6, 1979, Pope John Paul II emerged from a car's sunroof, waving and smiling to thousands of cheering onlookers who lined Washington streets and even climbed trees for a glimpse of the Roman Catholic leader.

Things will be different when Pope Benedict XVI arrives next month.

The public will have fewer opportunities to see Benedict because of security concerns and a tighter schedule. Benedict has just one public event in the nation's capital — a Mass at the Nationals stadium on April 17 — and will travel through the city in a closed car or in the popemobile, a specially designed and secure vehicle used by the pontiff during public appearances.

"His visit reflects the times we live in," said Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington. "There has to be a little higher level of security, unfortunately."

[...]

Organizers of Benedict's Mass in Washington are going out of their way to ensure that only legitimate attendees will enter the stadium. The tickets are nontransferable and each is bar-coded to a specific seat, Gibbs said. That way, if the archdiocese learns of a ticket being scalped on the Internet, the ticket can be canceled. To enter the stadium, adults will have to show a government-issued ID and pass through metal detectors.

New Yorkers don't get off so easily either. According to the New York Archdiocese, "there have been more than 200,000 requests for the 57,000 or so seats for the Mass."

Washington Mass tickets printed, awaiting distribution

(Via PopeWatch), an update regarding tickets to the Washington Nationals Mass:

If you have been informed that you've gotten tickets to the papal Mass at Nationals Park on April 17, you should receive the actual ticket fairly shortly.

The papal Mass tickets have arrived at the offices of the archdiocese of Washington and will be shipped to parishes and diocese next week, according to archdiocese spokesperson Susan Gibbs. From there, they will be distributed to individuals.

The archdiocese has set up a wait list site. Gibbs said that so far they have received 1,000 requests at the site for 3,000 tickets.

Related

• "I'll Trade You Two Pope Tickets for....." PopeWatch March 28, 2008.

The Washington Post contains a breakdown of papal ticket distribution to the Archdiocese:

• More than 100,000 requests have been submitted to the Archdiocese of Washington for tickets to Pope Benedict XVI's Mass in the District on April 17. Dioceses across the country were told how many tickets each parish would get at the end of last month.
• Nearly 45,000 seats are available for the Mass, which will be at the new Nationals Park.
• About 16,000 tickets will go to 148 parishes and missions in the archdiocese,
• Nearly 13,000 tickets will go to clergy, Catholic high schools and campus ministries in the Archdiocese of Washington, Catholic organizations, volunteers and others.

Parishes are distributing tickets through free lotteries, letter submissions and other methods. Some parishes are asking those interested to write letters saying why they would like a ticket. Tickets are free, non-replaceable and may not be sold. For details, visit http://www.adw.org/papalvisit.

Staten Island parishes have been holding lotteries to determine which parishioners get tickets to see Pope Benedict XVI’s mass in Yankee Stadium this April Jessica Fragoso reports for New York 1 News (NY1.com) March 15, 2008,

AXcess News' Jennifer Rios reports on Washington Archbishops' preparation for the papal visit (March 14, 2008):

The city's Catholic leader hopes Pope Benedict XVI will see a "little slice of the church" that represents the rest of the United States when he makes his first U.S. visit as pope next month.

"If we ever get all the tickets distributed," Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl said, laughing at a news conference Thursday.

An estimated 45,000 people will need those tickets to attend Mass April 17 at Nationals Park, the first non-game event to take place at the new baseball stadium. He will speak to Catholic educators at the Catholic University of America, and to interfaith leaders at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, after the Mass.

On April 16, his 81st birthday, the pope will meet with President Bush. He will also meet with U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The archdiocese is still sorting out seating arrangements for the Mass, but "for every seat available we have at least three requests" from people in the area and from across the country, Wuerl said.

Tickets for the Mass will be mailed two weeks in advance, Wuerl said, in part to cut back on time recipients could use to sell the free tickets. Individual churches are deciding how to distribute their ticket allocations. Blocks of tickets are slotted for high school students and for nursing home residents.

Wuerl said the archdiocese wants to make sure that every aspect of the community will be represented.

Distribution of Yankee Stadium Tickets a Difficult Exercise in Fairness

Yankee Stadium Mass proves to be hot ticket - Fairness key issue for priests (Times Herald-Record, March 10, 2008) -- Michael Randall reports on a difficult task facing priests across the New York dioceses:

It's the kind of decision even wise old King Solomon might have tried to avoid.

Imagine you're the pastor of a local Catholic church and your parish has been allotted, say, 20 tickets for Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming Mass at Yankee Stadium.

What's a pastor to do?

In the Hudson Valley, some churches like St. Joseph's in Kingston simply announced the tickets were available and handed them out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Others picked the winners' names out of a hat or other handy container, like a low-tech Lotto drawing.

They used the latter method at Sacred Heart Church in Newburgh, where Bishop Dominick Lagonegro is pastor. They had 43 tickets and more than 120 people asking for them.

The article goes into some detail on how the tickets were apportioned to individual parishes:

Each parish's allotment for the stadium Mass was based on 3.5 percent of its average Sunday attendance in 2006. So, parishes with larger memberships got 50, 60 or more tickets, while the smallest got maybe 10 or 12.

Ticket allotment for the other public event — a youth rally and prayer service at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers — were based on the population of a parish school for those that have them, as well as participation in parish youth groups or religious education programs.

But once those tickets were spoken for, that was it.

Crowds of 60,000 are expected at the stadium and 20,000 in Yonkers, but even that many tickets go fast when you're dividing them among the 395 parishes in the archdiocese and visitors from other dioceses.

as well as the intensive security precautions involved:

Parishes had to give church officials the names of those receiving tickets well ahead of time for background checks. Those with a ticket will have to show it and a photo ID to get in. So if you can't make it at the last minute, you can't pass the ticket off to your grandma or Aunt Harriet or cousin Phil.

Chicago Tribune: "Pope Benedict Hottest Ticket in Two Towns"

The pope -- hottest ticket in 2 towns, by Manya A. Brachear. Chicago Tribune March 7, 2008:

It doesn't matter to Rev. Charles Fanelli that Pope Benedict XVI lacks the panache of his predecessor John Paul II. The vicar of Christ and pastor of the Catholic world does not need charisma to draw a crowd.

That's why Fanelli, who has seen not one but two of Benedict's predecessors, hopes to be one of the few, the proud and the doggone lucky to win permission to see the pope.

"I admire his teaching so much," said Fanelli, 62, pastor of St. Thomas More parish on the South Side. "He really speaks so well to the Western world. He just hits it right between the eyes. I'm sure he's going to say something very important to the North Americans. It'd be nice to be there when he says it and see how he says it."

For most Catholics, a mass celebrated by the pope is the chance of a lifetime. Since he became pontiff in 2005, Benedict, 80, has traveled mostly in Europe. His only overseas travel was to Brazil last year. That said, the papal visit will likely be his only trip to the U.S. during his papacy.

That has many Catholics still chasing tickets for two of the pope's appearances. . . .

* * *

Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese of Washington, said a majority of tickets to Nationals Park have gone to the 140 parishes in Washington and neighboring dioceses in Maryland and Virginia. Other dioceses received tickets based on the number they got from New York and the poignancy of their personal appeals, Gibbs said.

For example, more than 20 faithful from Fargo, N.D., will attend the pope's mass in Nationals Park, among them 16 youth and chaperons from the Ft. Tottem Sioux Indian Reservation who could not raise enough money to travel to Rome or Australia where Pope Benedict XVI will host World Youth Day.

Teresa Hefland of St. Francis Borgia said she looks forward to attending mass with the masses. Though she saw Pope Benedict last year as part of a smaller audience in Rome, she said the crowds will serve to remind the pope's flock of the church's unity. She described the pope as "a magnetic force" that will draw the American faithful together to pray.

"Being with brothers and sisters brings us closer together," she said. "There's no one closer to God than the pope."

Kathy Siniawski of St. Thomas More agreed. To her, it's impossible to separate the power of the pope's presence from the intensity and devotion of the crowds who come to see him.

"We're very blessed to have him as our pope," said Siniawski, who will take medals of St. Thomas More, her parish's namesake and St. Rita, patron saint of impossible cases, to be blessed by Benedict. "We're blessed to have him walk on our land. Blessed that he's coming to New York to bless us all."

Baltimore Catholics can Request Papal Mass Tickets Online

Catholics in the diocese of Baltimore, MD can request tickets online, reports Laureen Miles Brunelli (About.com: Baltimore):

Baltimore Catholics can request tickets this week for the two public Masses Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to celebrate during his U.S. visit in April. On February 6 at 9 a.m., Archdiocese's website will accept applications for the tickets to papal Masses in Washington DC (April 16) and New York (April 20).

The tickets are free; however, the New York tickets requires that ticket holders travel on the Archdiocese's chartered bus at $52 a person. Those registered in a parish in Baltimore's Archdiocese will receive preference. Applicants will need to provide their name, address, birth date and parish.

Diocese of Charlotte: 100 Tickets Available for New York Mass

The Diocese of Charlotte has 100 tickets for a Mass with Pope Benedict XVI to be held April 20 in New York, the News & Record reports:

Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte received the tickets from the Archdiocese of New York, which is hosting a portion of the pope's visit, which will also wind through Washington .

Online applications are being accepted through midnight Tuesday at http://www.charlottediocese.org/tickets. Tickets will be distributed randomly so everyone has the same chance of getting one. . . . More Details.

Archdiocese of Boston: 3,000 Available Tickets to NYC Papal Mass

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is making 3,000 tickets available for Boston-area Catholics who want to see Pope Benedict XVI on April 20 at Yankee Stadium in New York - the Boston Globe reports:

The Boston tickets can be requested online at boston200.org. Ticket requests must be made by 5 p.m. Feb. 11. The archdiocese is making tickets available only to registered parishioners who are over age 14, and is planning to hold a lottery if more than 3,000 people request seats, said Scot Landry, coordinator of the event. The archdiocese will offer bus transportation to and from New York the day of the Mass.

"Many Catholics have called asking if the archdiocese would have tickets, so we requested a number from the archdiocese of New York, and we were thrilled that they allocated such a large number for us," Landry said. "There's a natural affection for the Holy Father, and this is his first trip to the US, and I think people want to experience it firsthand."

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston will be traveling separately to New York and will concelebrate the Mass at Yankee Stadium with the pope.

See Also: AmericanPapist: Not Your Average Catholic!: AmP Tip: How to get tickets to see Pope Benedict XVI in April American Papist

Catholic News Service: "Details on tickets to papal Masses remain sketchy, as deadlines pass"

According to the Catholic News Service, Your chance of getting a ticket to Pope Benedict XVI's April 20 Mass at Yankee Stadium might depend on whether you live in a diocese close to the Archdiocese of New York or in one of the nation's oldest archdioceses. Nancy Frazier O'Brien explains the reason for the "privileged placement" of our nation's eldest dioceses, in an detailed report on the rush for papal mass tickets:

Catholics from three archdioceses that share with the Archdiocese of New York the distinction of marking their 200th anniversary this year will get special treatment at the Yankee Stadium Mass. The archdioceses of Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville, Ky., will be honored at the Mass, along with the nation's first diocese, the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Brian Reynolds, chancellor and chief administrative officer of the Louisville Archdiocese, said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville will concelebrate the Mass with Pope Benedict and the cardinal-archbishops of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

As for distribution within the New York Diocese:

The New York office extended the deadline for dioceses to submit ticket requests until Jan. 15 and said the heads of dioceses would receive information about their ticket allocation during the week of Jan. 21. Each bishop will distribute the tickets "at his discretion," the New York Archdiocese said.

For those living within the New York Archdiocese, tickets will be distributed in the parishes. "Pastors will receive detailed information regarding ticket allocations and distribution by the end of January," the papal visit office said.

The office also is distributing tickets for the pope's April 19 meeting with young people and seminarians at St. Joseph's Seminary in New York. Those will be allocated "through Catholic schools, parish catechetical programs, parish youth groups, seminaries, etc., in the Archdiocese of New York and other dioceses in the immediate New York metropolitan area."

Diocese of Albany, NY Scrambles for Tickets

Citizens of Albany, NY scramble to get tickets to the NYC papal mass - Marc Parry of the Albany Times-Union reports:

As many as 3,000 requests have already arrived from people hoping for some of the roughly 450 tickets allotted to the Albany Diocese. Lucky pilgrims will be picked by random drawing.

The diocesan newspaper, The Evangelist, is handling the free tickets. The requests already fill four postal bins. They come from Albany and Altamont, from Gloversville and Gilboa -- even from an inmate at Coxsackie prison.

"Does he think he's going to get a furlough to go to New York?" wondered Mary Breig, circulation director for the newspaper. [...]

The amount of mail piling up has put to rest any question whether the public Mass would generate the same interest as ones celebrated by John Paul, who visited the United States five times during his pontificate.

"I think it's not just the individual, but the office," James Breig said. "People recognize this is the head of our church -- we have to go see him regardless of who it is. It is for most people a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

New details emerge for getting Papal Mass tickets

Catholic News Service has provided us with the latest update:

Pretty much the only chances the general public will have will be at Masses at the Washington Nationals' new baseball stadium, with a capacity of about 45,000, and Yankee Stadium in New York, which has a capacity of perhaps 65,000.

The youths and seminarians rally at New York's St. Joseph's Seminary also is listed as a public event, but Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the New York Archdiocese, told Catholic News Service the 15,000 to 20,000 spots will be filled primarily with people from the New York region and some of the approximately 5,000 seminarians in the country.

... Also yet to be decided in both cities is whether the pope will have a motorcade route where people may line up for a chance to see him, said Zwilling and Gibbs.

More information will be made available after January 1st at the Web sites of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Archdiocese of New York. Also check back here for the latest updates.

Archdiocese of New York: "No Ticket Scalping!"

Free tickets to Pope's Yankee Stadium Mass tempt scalpers, By Corky Siemazko. Daily News November 14, 2007:

Thou shalt not scalp tickets to the upcoming Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium.

That was the warning Tuesday to potential profiteers from the Archdiocese of New York, which said it will distribute the coveted tickets through the parishes — and they're free.

"We want to emphasize that," said diocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling. "Tickets are free of charge."

Zwilling spoke a day after the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict would be making his first U.S. visit as leader of the Catholic church.