IlovemyChurch:
Hi,
I heard that it is possibly as a newlywed to reserve tickets for a special (?) audience with the Pope. Does anyone know how one might go about doing this?
Also, is it possible to get a papal blessing for one’s marriage, (that is, you get a paper certificate sent to you/your Parish) and if so, who should be contacted to get it arranged…?-x-
Dear Love,
We did just that when we were married at St. Peter’s back in 1998. It was a fairly straightforward process. The Paulist priests at St. Susanna’s (the “American parish in Rome”) are the ones who normally process the paperwork for you.
We were actually married in St. Peter’s, so the celebrant of the wedding Mass coordinated the tickets for the papal audience before we even arrived in town. The current pastor of St. Susanna’s (Fr. Greg Apparcel) was the officiant at our wedding when he was there as the Associate Pastor.
What you get at this “general audience” are special seating arrangements, which allow you to sit with other dignitaries in the vicinity of the Holy Father during his weekly address. After the audience in over, you line up and meet the pope one-on-one for about 10 seconds (not much time for chit-chat). There will be people there videotaping and photographing the introduction, so be prepared to pay mega-bucks to get copies for yourself. Also, we were told to “chat it up” with the pope so that your videotape will be longer, and there will be more photos to choose from.
We also got a papal wedding blessing, but it had to be purchased as well, and only certain catholic retailers in Rome are authorized to do this. I can’t remember how much it cost, and I think I purchased it after we arrived in-country. It was mailed back to the states for us a couple of weeks later.
Go to the
St. Susanna’s parish website, where you will find specific information, such as the following:
Newlywed Ticket Procedures have changed once again. Newlyweds (within 8 weeks of your wedding) can sit in a special section, but must wear their wedding attire and must have their Wedding Certificate with them. We are sorry that the rules keep on changing but we can only provide you with the information as we are given it. We thank you your patience and your devotion.
Specific contact info (email & snailmail addresses, telephone numbers) can be found
here.