August 20, 2024
SINGAPORE – All 48,600 tickets in the papal mass ballot have been allocated after the final round of balloting closed a minute to midnight on Aug 18.
Registration for tickets to Pope Francis’ Sept 12 mass – his first in Singapore – opened on June 24 and was extended till August after overwhelming demand prompted a surprise second ballot.
Mr Lawrence Chan, the event’s head of ticketing, had earlier estimated that at least six out of 10 applicants would be successful in their bid.
An extra 6,000 tickets were added in the second ballot, held from Aug 5 to 18, with limited views of the altar and stage. The total number of people who bid for the tickets was not disclosed.
Having limited views of the altar and stage is of little consequence for Ms Monica Magdalene, 59, who, on the morning of Aug 19, was ecstatic to learn that she had managed to snag a ticket in the second round.
The executive, who was baptised four months ago, said: “To be able to be with His Holiness in the same mass and gathering… I feel when something like this is presented to Catholics, we should embrace (it) gladly and joyously.”
The papal mass is expected to be the highlight of the 87-year-old pontiff’s maiden visit to Singapore from Sept 11 to 13, the last leg of his Asia-Pacific tour.
For Ms Foo Yan Nuen, 59, and her family, it was not to be.
The mother of three said: “We were unsuccessful in the first round of balloting and were hopeful that we would get good news this morning. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, so our family will watch the live stream instead.
“We were so looking forward to celebrating holy mass with His Holiness, Pope Francis, in person.”
There are 32 Catholic churches and about 243,000 Roman Catholics in Singapore, according to the 2020 census.
Some 20 per cent of the total number of seats available have been reserved for volunteers and invited guests, including overseas bishops, priests and the laity.
The mass will be held at the National Stadium, 38 years after the first papal mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II took place at the old National Stadium in 1986.
Security and bag checks will commence at 12.30pm, half an hour before the gates open at 1pm.
Attendees must be seated by 3.30pm, and the pontiff will arrive at 4.30pm. The mass will begin at 5.15pm and end at 7.30pm. It will be live-streamed in full on the archdiocese YouTube channel.
Details of the mass programme can be found on the official Pope Francis Singapore 2024 webpage.