Papal Mass Tickets Disappear In 30 Seconds

Were you hoping to get close to the altar to see the Pope during his public mass when he is in town over the weekend of September 26 – 27? Hopefully you were one of the few to get through the surge of traffic when tickets became available for the papal mass. The 10,000 tickets available were gone within 30 seconds, say officials. The tickets were available on the World Meeting of Families website starting at 8 p.m. last night. People were limited to picking up four tickets apiece.

The pope during his Philadelphia visit.

Not surprisingly, enterprising opportunists have taken to auction site eBay with the treasured tickets, and are selling them at premium prices. The tickets ranged from $125 to $1,000 each as of Wednesday evening. The tickets were also seen on Craigslist for up to $500 apiece. Representatives of the World Meeting of Families have decried the secondary sales, saying that scalping the tickets goes against everything that the pope stands for.

Event organizers have taken heat for their plans regarding the papal mass and the other events at which the public can see the pontiff. There are those who have complained over ticket holders being allowed closest access to the pope during the mass and during his speech outside Independence Mall. Those without tickets won’t be able to get closer than a few blocks away.

Scalpers aren’t the only folks looking to make some money off the pope’s visit. Short-term rental site Airbnb is crawling with opportunistic home rentals during the papal weekend, with many going for hundreds if not thousands of dollars per night. Those who scored coveted regional rail passes during the weekend of September 26 – 27 have also been selling them online for premium prices.