Pope Francis will celebrate mass on Sept 12, on the second day of his planned three-day visit to Singapore. - AFP
SINGAPORE: Balloting for tickets to Singapore’s first papal mass in close to 40 years will be held between June 24 and July 31, ahead of Pope Francis’ maiden visit to the Republic.
The pontiff, 87, will celebrate mass on Sept 12, on 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, open to anyone in Singapore with a valid account on the myCatholicSG portal.
The venue for the event has yet to be disclosed.
From June 24, interested laity should register for the ballot with their myCatholicSG accounts. They may begin updating their myCatholicSG account 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 non-transferable.
Participants will be notified of the ballot outcome through their myCatholicSG accounts from Aug 1.
Those successful must confirm acceptance of their tickets by Aug 31.
Unsuccessful balloters will be placed on a waiting list, with declined tickets to be re-distributed to them. The mass will be livestreamed 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 - 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 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 Francis’ Asia-Pacific tour, which also includes Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste.
The papal visit was confirmed in April, though concerns over the Argentine’s ill health had cast doubt on whether it would go ahead.
It will also be the longest trip for 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. Thousands attended a papal mass at the old National Stadium during that visit.
For more information, please visit www.popefrancis2024.sg. - The Straits Times/ANN
