Balloting for tickets to mass by Pope Francis starts on June 24
The ballot for tickets to Singapore’s first papal mass in close to 40 years will open on June 24, ahead of Pope Francis’ maiden visit to the Republic.
The 87-year-old pontiff will celebrate mass on Sept 12, the second day of his planned three-day visit, reported the Catholic News on May 26.
More than 40,000 tickets will be available to the public in the online ballot, which is open to anyone in Singapore with a valid account on the myCatholicSG portal.
The venue for the event has yet to be disclosed.
Between June 24 and July 31, interested laity may register for the ballot with their myCatholicSG accounts. They may begin updating their accounts with their latest home parish, contact and other personal details now.
Only e-tickets will be issued. All tickets will be free of charge, tagged to the original ticket holder and are non-transferable.
Participants will be notified of the ballot outcome through their myCatholicSG accounts from Aug 1.
Those who are successful must confirm acceptance of their tickets by Aug 31.
Unsuccessful applicants will be placed on a waiting list, with declined tickets to be redistributed to them. The mass will be live-streamed for those unable to attend in person. No appeals will be entertained.
Those who succeed in the ballot will receive the tickets in their myCatholicSG accounts from Sept 1. They will have to produce their tickets and valid photo identification for entry into the venue on Sept 12.
Invited guests and volunteers do not need to ballot for tickets. About 20 per cent of the total number of tickets available will be reserved for this group, which is made up of the papal delegation, local and foreign bishops, priests, and religious and invited laity.
Infants below two years old as at Jan 1, 2024, also do not need tickets. Entry for children aged two and above as at Jan 1, 2024, is ticketed.
Overseas Roman Catholics should not participate in this ballot as a limited number of tickets have been set aside for them, with more details to be released by the Pope Francis Singapore 2024 organising committee at a later date. These tickets will also be free of charge.
Tickets will not be issued through ticketing representatives, travel companies, or private organisations, whether local or overseas.
Singapore is the last leg of the Pope’s Asia-Pacific tour, which also includes Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
The papal visit was confirmed in April, though concerns over the Argentinian pontiff’s ill health had cast doubt on whether it would go ahead.
It will also be the longest trip for Pope Francis since he became head of the global Catholic Church in 2013.
The last time a pope visited Singapore was in 1986, when the late John Paul II made a five-hour stopover in the city-state. About 70,000 people attended a papal mass at the old National Stadium during that visit.
For more information, please visit www.popefrancis2024.sg.
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