How to Meet the Pope

You can meet the Pope after his usual weekly general audience on Wednesday mornings. Although there is no charge, an audience with the Pope requires tickets, arranged well in advance. Use the following steps to meet the Pope.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Call the Vatican (phone number: +011 39 06 6988485) to request tickets for the Pope's Wednesday 10:30 a.m. audience (see Resources).

2. Use the online ticket request tool at the Santa Susanna church for American Roman Catholics. Click on "Tickets" to make a request. Visit the website 2 to 3 weeks in advance (see Resources).

3. Show up to the Santa Susanna church between 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on the evening before the audience. Go to the Visitors' Desk to pick up your tickets.

4. Attend Wednesday morning mass at the Vatican. Check with the ticket provider for the location since it will change. Papal audiences occur right after his greeting.

5. Sit in the special "newlywed" section and wear your wedding attire for a newlywed blessing from the Pope.

Tips & Warnings

• A Papal blessing requires a separate request and doesn't require a visit to the Vatican. Check with the Vatican for more information.
• Substitute the +011 with +00 when dialing outside of the U.S. and Canada. +011 is the country code for dialing internationally from the U.S. and Canada.
• Don't wear revealing clothing, shorts and tank tops when visiting the Vatican. Services and audiences have conservative dress codes.
• Wear wedding attire to ensure access to the special newlywed section. You can wear this attire only if you sit in this section. Policies and enforcement vary between guards.

Resources

• Vatican website for Pope audience tickets and Vatican resources
• The Church of Santa Susanna in Rome for audience tickets to meet the Pope