Visiting Rome

Most Wednesday mornings, the Holy Father gives a General Audience. All pilgrims in Rome who would like the opportunity to see and pray with the Holy Father are welcome to participate. The Audiences are normally held in St. Peter’s Square, which can hold more than 50,000 pilgrims. During the very warm summer and cold winter months, the Audiences move indoors to the Paul VI Audience Hall, or sometimes St. Peter’s Basilica, which both hold about 6,000.

The Papal Audience is not a Mass, but rather a time of catechesis and prayer. It usually begins with a short reading from Sacred Scripture, followed by a homily from the Holy Father. Summaries are then offered in several major languages, and the Audience concludes with the Holy Father giving his Apostolic Blessing to all pilgrims present or following through media. A very few pilgrims might also have the opportunity to greet the Holy Father personally afterwards.

Because of the limited number of spaces, tickets are required — but they are always entirely free.

Pilgrims from the United States can request tickets through our office, without having to request them from the Prefecture of the Papal Household. To request tickets, please complete the Audience Request Form. Pilgrims from outside the United States can request tickets directly from the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

We kindly ask that requests reach us at least 2 weeks before the Audience date. Once you receive confirmation by email, tickets are distributed at our office at Via dell’Umiltà, 30 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday afternoon before the Audience. We are unable to email, fax, scan, or mail tickets.

Newlywed couples (sposi novelli) married in the Catholic Church may often sit in a special section at the Wednesday Audience. To qualify, couples should be married three (3) months or less, and must carry a copy of the Sacramental Marriage Certificate signed by the priest or deacon who celebrated the wedding.

To sit in the sposi novelli section, the couple needs to wear their wedding attire (covered shoulders for the bride, and a suit jacket and tie for the groom). If you were married in traditional wedding attire from your culture, you may wear that as well. The Holy Father will bless you for a happy wedded life when he gives his general blessing at the conclusion of the Audience, and occasionally some couples have the opportunity to greet him personally.

Couples from the United States can request sposi novelli tickets through our Audience Request Form; couples from other countries can request them from the Prefecture of the Papal Household. The tickets issued for sposi novelli look the same as regular Audience tickets. If requesting by email, please include: the title and full name of the groom; the title and full name of the bride (as it will be once married); your email address; your full U.S. mailing address; the date of marriage; the name and location of the church; the name of the priest or deacon presiding; and the date of the Audience you wish to attend.

Bringing your wedding gown to Rome: most airlines will grant priority boarding if you bring your wedding dress as a carry-on, and will hang it in a special closet so it is not damaged or lost. Contact your airline for details.

The official translations of the Holy Father’s addresses can be found on the Vatican website. The teachings from the Wednesday General Audiences are published here, sorted by date.

The Holy Father’s photographers publish their pictures at photo.vaticanmedia.va, where they can be ordered. All proceeds go to the Papal Charities.

Most Sundays and Holy Days at 12:00 noon, the Holy Father leads the faithful in praying the Angelus from the window of his study overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The Pope first gives a short reflection on the Sunday Gospel, then leads the Angelus (or the Regina Coeli during the Easter season) in Latin, concluding with his Apostolic Blessing — which extends to you, your loved ones, and any devotional items you have brought with you, and carries a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions. Afterwards the Pope usually greets some of the different groups of pilgrims present in the square. To pray along with the Holy Father, see the text of the Angelus in Latin and English on our Angelus page.

No tickets are required to attend the Angelus, but we recommend arriving around 11:30 a.m. to allow time to pass through security. To confirm an Angelus is scheduled, check the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

We also warmly invite you to join us beforehand for Holy Mass in English at 9:00 a.m. at the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia — just three blocks from St. Peter’s Square — which ends in plenty of time to attend the Angelus at noon.

On Christmas Day and Easter Sunday each year at 12:00 noon, the Holy Father gives the Urbi et Orbi (“to the city [of Rome] and to the world”) blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. It is the most solemn form of blessing in the Catholic Church, reserved for the most solemn occasions — Christmas, Easter, and the proclamation of a newly elected pope. The tradition goes back to the 13th century, when Pope Gregory X instituted this form of blessing.

Catholics who devoutly receive the Urbi et Orbi blessing may also receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions:

• Sacramental confession within 8 days before or after receiving the blessing
• Attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion within 8 days before or after
• Praying for the intentions of the Holy Father (traditionally an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be)
• Having no attachment to sin, including venial sin

Since 1985, this indulgence is granted not only to those in St. Peter’s Square, but also to those who, though unable to be physically present, “piously follow” it by radio or television.

At the conclusion of Papal Audiences, the Sunday Angelus, and Papal Masses, the Holy Father gives his Apostolic Blessing. This blessing is for you, your family, your loved ones, and any items for devotional use that you have brought with you. If you would like items such as rosaries, crucifixes, holy cards, or medals to be blessed, simply have them with you — the Holy Father intends to bless all these articles when he gives his blessing.

A rosary or crucifix blessed by the Holy Father is a beautiful gift for your loved ones back home, so we strongly encourage you to take this opportunity.

Written Papal Blessings on parchment for special occasions are distributed by the Office of Papal Charities (the Elemosineria Apostolica) in the Vatican. Proceeds are given to the poor in the name of the Holy Father.

The easiest way to request one is through the website of the Office of Papal Charities. The office can only receive a limited number of online requests each day, so you may need to place your request first thing in the morning. If you are visiting Rome, you may collect your blessing directly from their office inside the Vatican (enter through the Sant’Anna Gate and let the Swiss Guards know you are collecting a Papal Blessing); the office is open 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays (closed Sundays). If you are not visiting, the office can mail the blessing to you by DHL Express Courier. Parchments cannot be requested by post, fax, or email — only in person or through the online procedure.

Occasions for which parchments are granted include: Baptism, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation (single person); Marriage; Priestly Ordination; Religious Profession; Ordination of Permanent Deacons; milestone anniversaries of Marriage, Ordination, or Profession; and milestone birthdays. For birthday blessings, the requested date is the date of the birthday, not the date of birth.

Please note: the Visitors’ Office is unable to provide any assistance in securing a parchment blessing and only provides information on how to submit requests. For questions about a blessing you have requested or received, please contact the Office of Papal Charities directly.

Yes! Seminarians of the North American College offer tours of two papal basilicas — St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Outside the Walls — and occasionally guide the St. Peter’s Scavi. The basilica tours highlight the Catholic theology and spirituality that gave rise to their construction, and offer the opportunity to venerate the relics of many of Christianity’s most important saints, most notably Peter and Paul.

Learn more on our Rome Tours with the Seminarians page, including the Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls Tour Apostolate.

The Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel, are a priority for many pilgrims. While it is not always necessary to reserve in advance, many pilgrims choose to purchase entrance tickets at the Vatican Museums’ online ticket office. A reserved ticket (printed out) allows you to proceed immediately to the security line at your chosen entry time.

Official guided tours can be requested through the same online ticket office, and pre-recorded audio tours are available for rental on arrival. A list of private guides is also available from our office on request.

Yes — guided walking tours of the Vatican Gardens can be purchased through the Vatican Museums’ online ticket office. The tour lasts about two hours, and the ticket also enables you to enter the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel at the end of the walking tour.

The Scavi — the ancient necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Apostle’s remains rest — can be visited only on a guided tour arranged through the Vatican Excavations Office. See our Scavi & Catacombs page for how to request tickets.

With more than 1,000 churches in Rome, it is hard to know where to begin. Beyond St. Peter’s, do not miss St. John Lateran (the Cathedral of Rome), St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major. We have compiled a small guide: Top Ten Churches to Visit in Rome.